EP Criticizes Bulgaria for Inaction Against Polluting Cars

The European Parliament called on the Member States to take action to withdraw polluting cars from their markets or to make mandatory retrofitting of their equipment. Bulgaria was also criticized, together with Hungary, Ireland, Slovenia and Sweden, for not sending any information to Brussels on their programs to withdraw such vehicles from the market.
   
Member States should take urgent measures to withdraw from the market a large number of cars that cause high levels of pollution. They also need to coordinate with manufacturers to continue with the mandatory hardware upgrading to reduce NO2 emissions and clean up existing fleets, MEPs said on Thursday in a resolution adopted by 301 votes for , 181 votes against and 42 abstentions.

Parliament fears that the problem of highly polluting diesel vehicles will remain largely unresolved and will continue to aggravate air quality for many years unless effective coordinated action is taken.

Parliament notes that, although the Commission has launched infringement proceedings against several Member States more than two years ago for failing to impose sanctions (in the case of the Volkswagen group) and has introduced systems of sanctions to prevent car manufacturers from a violation of car emissions legislation has not completed the search for additional information. Procedures are still ongoing against Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom.

Some Member States do not appear to be cooperating seriously with the Commission in this respect, MEPs add, and urge them to provide all the necessary information to enable the Commission to submit its report on the recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry into the measurement of emissions in the automotive sector, says the message of the...