Meeting of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ECON)&nbsp;on the state of play on Volkswagen issue, in the EP in Brussels. Statements by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), Chair of the EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, Joanna SZYCHOWSKA, Head of Unit, DG GROWTH, European Commission, Christofer FJELLNER (EPP, SE), Matthias GROOTE (S&amp;D, DE), Julie GIRLING (ECR, UK), Nils TORVALDS (ALDE, FI) and Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL)

Brussels

meeting

EICKHOUT, Bas (Greens/EFA, NL)

emissions of vehicles (T)

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

FJELLNER, Christofer (EPP, SE)

GIRLING, Julie (EPP, UK)

TORVALDS, Nils (Renew, FI)

LA VIA, Giovanni (EPP, IT)

GROOTE, Matthias (S&D, DE)

State of play on Volkswagen issue: extracts from the discussion with European Commission at the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

SOUNDBITE (English), Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), Chair of the EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety , "We have in front of us some objection and some problems in the US, but we want to know also which is the situation in the EU, we want to know if we are going to see in a short time the same problem? If we've only some producer, one producer or more producer that can have the same problems? I think that it is important to have this exchange of views with the Commission."

SOUNDBITE (English), Joanna SZYCHOWSKA, Head of Unit, DG GROWTH, European Commission, "Volkswagen is carrying out now an internal independent investigation, which basically means that we have agreed on the one hand with the US authority but also with Volkswagen and KBA (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), which is a German Authority, to meet in the coming days and to seek from the the initial results of their investigation. You will understand that this is an extremely early stage, and I think, answering to one of your questions today, it is premature to say if VW cars in Europe are affected, and on the other hand if we should take specific market surveillance measures."

SOUNDBITE (English), Joanna SZYCHOWSKA, Head of Unit, DG GROWTH, European Commission, "What the Commission has been doing for quite some time now, knowing that laboratory tests do not reflect real driving emissions, we have embarked on the work to come with the so-called RD-package, in the coming months, the second package within four legal acts that we have to adopt, which would exactly allow to make sure that cars which are put on the road, that their emissions limits are well reflected, and therefore that legislation is respected. We have been aware of this discrepancy, and that is why this work has started."

SOUNDBITE (English), Christofer FJELLNER (EPP, SE), "It's embarrassing that it's the Americans that show us that we have a problem, it might even be a telling thing tha it is the Americans. Because we are not up to, in the Member States, to the task of actually scrutinising our own heroes the way we should. So therefore I would ask the myself and would like to ask the Commission, we will need some kind of market surveillance system, whatever model we chose, or however we revise the test cycle.But that said, can we really trust a decentralised one?"

SOUNDBITE (English), Christofer FJELLNER (EPP, SE), <p>"Can please the Commission inform us, what are the sanctions for this? What's the maximum sanction that we have in our hand to actually penalise those who don't follow the rules?"</p>  <p></p>

SOUNDBITE (German), Matthias GROOTE (S&amp;D, DE), "I would like to hear from the Commission, have you tested vehicles in the field? How were they checked, have they just been driven through a test or does the Commission do their own tests. If yes, when were they done, how were they done. If not why were these tests done not done?."

SOUNDBITE (English), Julie GIRLING (ECR, UK), "Unless the Commission comes up with a new, invigorated and accurate real world driving conditions, we recommend that they move to a US style surveillance system. That is the official position of this committee from that NEC vote. So, what I would like to ask the Commission is, do they recognise now that the type approval process is fundamentally flawed?"

SOUNDBITE (English), Nils TORVALDS (ALDE, FI), "This easiest and most ironic way out of this scandal is to rename the factory to "Wolkswagen". Because now we know what's in the cloud."

SOUNDBITE (English), Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL), "We know already since 2007, its in the regulation, that we should udate the tests; And the Commission is saying we are working on it. It's 2015. So i mean, if citizens are asking, why is Europe so slow, I cannot really answer that question to be honest. And I fell a bit ashaemd to say, es we are pushing for it, but they are working on it."