EU Tells Carmakers to Do More to Cut Carbon Dioxide Emissions

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union warned carmakers Tuesday that it will introduce legislation to enforce cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, if the industry does not work harder to meet voluntary pollution-cutting targets.

The European Commission welcomed figures showing that European, Japanese and Korean producers had reduced CO2 emissions from new cars by an average of 12.4 percent from 1995 to 2004.

But it said faster reductions were needed if the industry was to meet the voluntary targets of a 25 percent cut by 2008 for the Europeans and 2009 for the Asian manufacturers.

"The situation is not satisfactory," said EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen. "We expect that the industry sticks to its commitments."

Cuts in vehicle emissions are a key part of the EU's strategy for cutting so-called greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol on global warming.

To meet its targets, the industry will need to introduce cuts of more than 3 percent a year from now on, the European Commission said.

Verheugen's spokesman said the European Commission would impose mandatory cuts on companies if they don't make more progress under the voluntary code.

"The European Commission will not hesitate to replace the carrot with the stick," spokesman Gregor Kreuzhuber he told reporters. "The car industry should be aware that we are watching the situation very closely."

The EU's concerns were compounded by data that shows that although the emissions per car, per kilometer (mile) have fallen, the overall level of CO2 emissions from road transport is up by 22 percent since 1990 due to an increase in the number of cars and the distances driven.

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association had no immediate reaction to the Commission's comment, but said it would release a statement later Tuesday.