MEPs considering new road emissions reduction target

Date: 25/11/2011

A new target to cut emissions from road transport could be introduced after it was approved by European Parliament's Transport Committee.

The European Commission (EC) will now decide whether to implement legislation supporting the 20 per cent cut in emissions by 2020, according to roadtransport.com.

It comes as an update to the proposal initially set out in the EC's Transport White Paper from earlier this year, which called for a 60 per cent reduction by 2050, compared to 1990 levels.

However, a spokesperson for the Transport Committee said that this would serve as an interim target, rather than superseding the original one.

"All measures brought onward should fit the general goals of the White Paper," the representative for the committee said.

The original White Paper called for a shift from road to rail for freight services, in order to help meet emissions targets.

To this end, it set out the specific target of 30 per cent of road freight over 300km to be moved to rail or waterways by 2030 and 50 per cent by 2050.