EU proposes stricter emissions standards for cars

The European Commission today approved a bill to impose stricter emission standards for vehicles and to close a loophole that allows fuel-guzzling sports utility vehicles to escape the EU pollution limits.

European Union Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said SUV manufacturers would no longer be able to classify them as light commercial vehicles which are subject to less stringent pollution restrictions.

He told a news conference the new rules would be “a very significant step toward improving European vehicles in the field of environmental technology, making our environment clearer without damaging the competitiveness of European industry.”

If approved by the European Parliament and governments of the 25 EU nations, Verheugen said the rules could be in place by the second half of 2008.