Tyre label has vital lessons for fuel efficiency in road and air transport

Opinion by Nina Renshaw - T&E deputy director There aren’t many downsides to working at T&E, but if I have to name one, it is that we don’t often have the joy of seeing the fruits of our work in the real world. Mostly you don’t see less energy use or fewer emissions, and you see even fewer economic incentives at work when walking around town. So 1 November will be a rare moment.

Low-carbon cars can boost Europe’s economy

The idea that making cars cleaner would be bad for jobs and competitiveness is a myth. That is the conclusion from a report launched by T&E that looks into the economic consequences for carmakers to meet strict carbon dioxide emissions limits from 2020 and beyond. T&E says it strengthens the argument for an 80g/km target for 2020 and a 60g target for 2025.

Bad biofuels will still count towards climate targets under new proposal

The Commission has published its eagerly awaited proposal to address indirect land-use change (Iluc) impacts of biofuels production. But the proposal stops short of tackling emissions from Iluc, saying such emissions must be reported but do not affect fuel producers’ ability to count biofuels as part of their renewable energy and climate targets. T&E has called this a missed opportunity to get the EU’s biofuels policy right.

Failure to set stricter CO2 standard will cost van owners money

A new study has increased the pressure on MEPs and ministers to set a stricter carbon dioxide emissions target for vans than it is currently proposing. The study says that if the vans standard for 2020 were equivalent to the proposed standard for cars, it would save owners of new vans €825 a year, and the technology will also be much cheaper than previously thought.

Monitoring is not tackling! Environmental groups criticise lack of Commission progress to reduce shipping emissions

Environmental groups have criticised a long-awaited Commission announcement on greenhouse gases from shipping. A coalition of NGOs headed by T&E has welcomed forthcoming measures to monitor emissions from maritime transport, but says they should not mask the fact that the EU is taking no action to cut such emissions, despite the presence of numerous cost-effective options for doing so.

Safer and more aerodynamic lorries on the way

The Commission has given a hint of its forthcoming draft directive on weights and dimensions that will be published early next year. It says the guiding principle behind it will be fuel efficiency, and T&E has welcomed what is likely to be a boost for lorries that are safer and cleaner.

20% for climate in EU budget a step closer

MEPs have supported the Commission’s intention to have 20% of the 2014-20 EU budget spent on actions to fight climate change.

‘Break away from conventional thinking’ on transport technology

The Commission has issued a transport and technology communication which calls on governments to ‘break away from conventional thinking’ in an attempt to boost new forms of transport energy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Bicycles overtake cars

Italy, the country that is perhaps most associated with a love of cars, has reported last year's sales of bicycles higher than sales of cars.