During the EP plenary session (3-6 April2017) in Strasbourg, MEPs debate on recommendations to the EU Commission and member states on how to remedy flaws in checks on car manufacturers and close legal loopholes to prevent further cheating in emissions tests, while also properly enforcing laws to protect air quality. Statements by Jens GIESEKE (EPP, DE) and Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), Co-rapporteurs, Elzbieta BIENKOWSKA, Member of the EC in charge of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&amp;D, BE), and Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL).&nbsp;

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

EICKHOUT, Bas (Greens/EFA, NL)

emissions of vehicles (T)

BIEŃKOWSKA, Elżbieta (PL, EC)

VAN BREMPT, Kathleen (S&D, BE)

GERBRANDY, Gerben-Jan (ALDE, NL)

GIESEKE, Jens (EPP, DE)

Inquiry into emission measurements in the automotive sector: extracts from the debate on the report by Jens GIESEKE (EPP, DE) and Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL)

SOUNDBITE (German), Jens GIESEKE (EPP, DE), Co-rapporteur, Nobody is set out to perpetrate fraud, but no legislation in the world can actually prevent premeditated fraud. The rules on exhaust emissions have opened up the possibility for too much interpretation. There should have been more stringent rules and clear rules brought in earlier and applied.

SOUNDBITE (German), Jens GIESEKE (EPP, DE), Co-rapporteur, In order to make sure that the rules are applied we don&rsquo;t need another bureaucratic agency, it would be far more efficient and cost saving if the EU Commission would take on board these tasks and I am surprised Mme Commissioner that this is not something that people think the Commission could do.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), Co-rapporteur, There&rsquo;s been no public apologies, no gesture made by manufacturers, no admissions of guilt. No signals sent to those millions of Europeans who are forced to breathe dirty air. Instead they&rsquo;ve denied everything and have said that they in fact were not responsible and some even said that the spirit of the law was just that cars would be non-polluting in laboratories rather than on the road.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), Co-rapporteur, The member states need to pay more attention to the actual situation. I would also call on colleagues in national parliaments because not implementing the law should be something that members of national parliaments are also responsible for and we should try and ensure that technical experts groups work in a more transparent and open way and that&rsquo;s a huge problem.

SOUNDBITE (English), El&#380;bieta BIE&#323;KOWSKA, Member of the EC in charge of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, We want the industry to play by the rules and to truly respect and compensate consumers in Europe. Not just to say they do so. From today I want member states to carry out proper market surveillance and enforce the law and most importantly I want also the Commission, myself, ourselves, and co-legislators to agree on an effective legal framework for type approval because such abuse should not take place again in Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elżbieta BIEŃKOWSKA, Member of the EC in charge of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, The industry&rsquo;s attitude has not changed fundamentally. I hear very often that &lsquo;ok, this case was unacceptable but this is an isolated case&rsquo;. This is not true. And there is also the failure of member states authorities to spot and to react appropriately. Some member states have taken serious efforts to improve but others, they are still in denial. So the work of the Committee and the work and the Commission will not be done until attitudes change.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elżbieta BIEŃKOWSKA, Member of the EC in charge of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Zero emissions cars are the future of this industry so I hope that we can work together to maintain this pressure even after today&rsquo;s voting and after the report is concluded.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&amp;D, BE), Chair of the EMIS Committee, I think we need to bear in mind that we are not just setting up an additional agency, one more agency; we need to be clear that we want to set up a body that can carry out the proper checks and can have oversight of what is happening. That would make possible to finally have clean cars on our roads.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL), If you apply your own guidelines you will identify that a lot of car manufacturers are applying defeat devices. That is forbidden by law. Until now no European car is forced to recall cars from the European streets. It&rsquo;s really time for action and if the member states don&rsquo;t do it, European Commission you have all the powers to address those national authorities and it&rsquo;s time you do that now.