Recommendation following the inquiry into emission measurements in the automotive sector

The European Parliament adopted a recommendation following the inquiry into emission measurements in the automotive sector.

Following on from the final report of the Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector, Parliament made the following recommendations:

Laboratory tests and real-world emissions: Parliament called for the swift adoption of the 3rd and 4th real driving emissions (RDE) packages. In this regard, the specifications of the test and evaluation procedures should be set out very carefully and should cover a wide range of driving conditions, including temperature, engine load, vehicle speed, altitude, type of road and other parameters that can be found when driving in the Union.

The Commission is called upon to:

• change its internal structure in such a way that, under the principle of collective responsibility, the portfolio of one single Commissioner (and Directorate-General) includes at the same time the responsibility for air quality legislation and for policies addressing the sources of pollutant emissions;
• ensure that there are adequate human resources and technical expertise and the appropriate level of autonomy in the Joint Research Centre, including measures to keep relevant experience with vehicle and emissions technology and vehicle testing in the organisation;
• present proposals to introduce environmental inspections at EU level to monitor compliance with EU environmental law in general;
• continue its work on improving portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS) performance in order to improve their accuracy and reduce their error margin.

Members called for lists of participants and minutes of the meetings of comitology committees to be made available to the public.

Defeat devices: a degree of unpredictability is built into the type-approval and in-service conformity testing in order to prevent any outstanding loopholes from being exploited and to ensure compliance throughout the lifecycle of a vehicle.

In order for real driving emissions tests to be effective in reducing the discrepancies between the emissions measured in the laboratory and on the road, the specifications of the test and evaluation procedures should be set out very carefully and should cover a wide range of driving conditions, including temperature, engine load, vehicle speed, altitude, type of road and other parameters that can be found when driving in the Union.

Moreover, the Commission and the Member States to establish remote fleet monitoring schemes – making use of roadside remote sensing equipment and/or on-board sensors – to screen the environmental performance of the in-service fleet and to detect possible illegal practices.

Type-approval and in-service conformity: Parliament called for the swift adoption of the proposal for a Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers replacing the current framework directive on type approval, and for its entry into force no later than 2020. It called for a more comprehensive and coordinated system of type approval and the drastic strengthening of market surveillance, on the basis of clearly defined rules and a clearer distribution of responsibilities in the new EU type-approval framework.

EU oversight within the new framework for EU type approval should entail retesting vehicles in order to verify that they conform to the type approvals and to applicable legislation. Members suggested that in the case of passenger vehicles, random market surveillance tests should be performed on at least 20 % of the new models put on the Union market each year as well as on a representative quantity of older models to verify whether the vehicles comply with the Union safety and environmental legislation on the road.

The resolution pointed out the need for systematic enforcement of conformity of production and in-use conformity of vehicles by the national authorities responsibilities. It called for proper and independent financing of type approval, market surveillance and activities of technical services.

Enforcement and penalties: the Commission shall: (i) launch infringement procedures against Member States that have not put in place effective market surveillance and a national system of penalties for infringements of EU law as required by the existing legislation; (ii) be empowered to impose on vehicle manufacturers effective, proportionate and dissuasive administrative fines where non-compliance of their vehicles is established. The resources levied by these fines imposed should be used as assigned revenue for specific EU projects or programmes in the field of air quality and environmental protection.

Consumer rights: EU consumers affected by the dieselgate scandal should be adequately and financially compensated by the car manufacturers involved. The Commission is called upon to put forward a legislative proposal for the establishment of a collective redress system in order to create a harmonised system for EU consumers.

Clean vehicles: Parliament called for a more integrated approach in their policies to improve the environmental performance of cars, in order to ensure progress on both the decarbonisation and air quality objectives, such as by fostering the electrification or transition to alternative motorisations of the car fleet. It called on the Commission to review the Clean Power for Transport Directive (2014/94/EU) and to come forward with a draft regulation on CO2 standards for the car fleets coming onto the market from 2025 onwards.

Lastly, the Commission is called on to submit to Parliament within 18 months of the adoption of this recommendation, and regularly thereafter, a comprehensive report on the action taken by the Commission and the Member States on the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry.