mr president first of all i would like to congratulate the rapporteur mr callanan and the shadow rapporteurs on their efforts in reaching agreement on the commission proposal on light commercial vehicles
in the aftermath of the economic downturn as mr callanan mentioned these discussions were indeed difficult
let me be clear the compromise package resulting from these interinstitutional discussions is less ambitious than the commission proposal on a number of points
mainly full compliance with the short-term target is delayed by one year the level of the penalty for non-compliance the excess emissions premium has been lowered and the ambition of the long-term target has been decreased
it will therefore not come as a surprise to anybody if i say that i would have preferred a more ambitious outcome and many of you probably share that view
nevertheless this compromise still represents an important step forward
by twenty twenty it will bring down the average co emissions of vans from the two thousand and seven baseline of two hundred and three grams of co per kilometre to one hundred and forty-seven grams per kilometre
this will mean an average emission reduction in the van fleet of twenty-eight over thirteen years
in view of the expected growing demand for light commercial vehicles the increased efficiency will represent an important contribution to the reduction of transport emissions
the compromise will also generate lifetime net savings for consumers mainly small and medium-sized enterprises of over eur two two hundred per vehicle
moreover the targets will stimulate innovation in industry and enable manufacturers to take advantage of the transition to a low carbon economy and thus enhance their long-term competitiveness
let us not forget that this regulation should give manufacturers a first mover advantage in world markets where similar co standards are likely to follow and the demand for efficient vehicles is expected to rise
in addition this regulation will close a major regulatory gap between cars and vans and therefore minimise potential perverse effects on the regulation on co in passenger cars
large cars will not be able to escape the co emission standards simply by changing the vehicle's category to van when type-approved
finally as you know transport is today emitting more than in nineteen ninety thus offsetting to a large extent the reductions made in other sectors
this is of course not sustainable
transport must make a substantial contribution to the eu's overall co targets
this regulation is one more instrument that will help the member states to meet their twenty twenty commitments to reduce co from sectors outside the eu ets
i believe that this agreement is yet more proof of the european union's commitment towards meeting its climate goals and i hope that you will lend your support to the compromise package when you vote later today
