Surprise, surprise, the European Union, the one that appeared to buckle under Germany ’s immense corporate interest pressure not to enforce strict emissions laws by the year first specified will be going forward with the half-assed version of the original plan that as a Reuters report says "delays 100 percent implementation of a limit of 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre (CO2/km) for all new cars until 2021 from a previous deadline of 2020."
The big luxury car manufacturers, the ones that do most of the tailpipe emitting, were the ones that expressly asked for more leniency. The same report reminds us that the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel , whose party “received money (donations) from BMW,” persuaded everybody that she was safeguarding jobs.
That she may very well be doing, but it’s an indirect and happy coincidental side effect, while the air of dishonesty and corporate intrigue and interest above all is thick, if you ask me.
The final decision regarding the matter at hand, though, will be taken on Friday, when the deal will be “presented to a meeting of EU diplomats… with a view to getting their agreement,” according to Arunas Vinciunas, ambassador for Lithuania, which holds the rotating EU presidency.
It would then have to be ratified with all of the member states’ governments and the European Parliament, before finally becoming law.
By Andrei Nedelea
