Fuldstændigt Forhandlingsreferat

Onsdag den 18. april 2018 - Strasbourg

21. Godkendelse og markedsovervågning af motorkøretøjer og påhængskøretøjer dertil samt af systemer, komponenter og separate tekniske enheder til sådanne køretøjer (forhandling)

  Przewodniczący. – Kolejnym punktem porządku dziennego jest sprawozdanie sporządzone przez Daniela Daltona w imieniu Komisji Rynku Wewnętrznego i Ochrony Konsumentów w sprawie wniosku dotyczącego rozporządzenia Parlamentu Europejskiego i Rady w sprawie homologacji i nadzoru rynku pojazdów silnikowych i ich przyczep oraz układów, komponentów i oddzielnych zespołów technicznych przeznaczonych do tych pojazdów (COM(2016)0031 – C8-0015/2016 – 2016/0014(COD)) (A8-0048/2017).

  Daniel Dalton, rapporteur. – Mr President, this is a strong Europe-wide response to the ‘dieselgate’ scandal. This legislation will make cars safer and cleaner and, combined with the RDE testing, will ensure that a future ‘dieselgate’ can’t happen again. We have a unique system in Europe: national type approvals, which are mutually recognised across all EU countries. But ‘dieselgate’ exposed some of its limitations due to the testing process, lack of enforcement and lack of market surveillance.

For years, motorists have suspected that the advertised fuel performance of their vehicles was inaccurate and exaggerated. They were a joke, in fact. No one believed them, and ‘dieselgate’ proved them right. Millions of cars bought in good faith had been mis-sold due to deliberate attempts to manipulate laboratory test results. To many, it appears that ‘dieselgate’ affected everyone apart from the manufacturers to blame. Those affected are still waiting for proper compensation, whereas in the US, compensation has already been paid. So motorists in Europe are angry, and they’re rightly asking what we’re doing about it. We should all be concerned as well about the environmental damage of this, particularly in cities with poor air quality.

Overall, it has undermined trust in diesel vehicles. This package creates a rigorous and transparent framework for approving and checking the cars on our roads for emissions and safety. While emissions have caught the headlines recently, our new rules also guarantee safety standards. Airbags and seatbelts are all covered in these rules. New testing, too, will ensure that environmental protections are upheld. Transparent testing is essential to ensure that cars are safe and clean. Test results will, for the first time, be easily available for third parties online, who can check and verify results for cheating.

When something goes wrong, there must be a capacity to act, and under this regulation there are for the first time proper requirements for national authorities to significantly fine manufacturers at fault. If the national authorities fail to act, the Commission can levy fines instead. That European involvement and oversight is repeated in many parts of this regulation.

I am naturally sceptical of giving power to the Commission, but this scandal showed an umpire was needed to renew the trust that is needed in a system of national mutual recognition. The Commission will be carrying out regular reviews of type approval authorities who allow cars to drive on the road to make sure that they are doing their job. There will also be a forum, chaired by the Commission, providing greater oversight and sharing best practice of national authorities. Once cars are on the road, national authorities who failed to do so in the past, now have to check them. Hundreds of cars a year will be checked, with the spread of models and types to ensure that cheating will be caught.

The European Commission is also mandated to undertake spot checks on cars across the Union, targeted based on information Member States have to provide on their surveillance programmes. A double-check system to ensure that if another Volkswagen ever happened, it would be discovered quickly.

(The President interrupted the speaker because of a translation problem)

Vehicles found not in conformity will also be subject to a rapid EU-wide recall system where needed.

I started by talking about those affected by ‘dieselgate’. For them, this regulation makes the law clear that if consumers carry out repairs themselves to faulty vehicles later subject to recalls, they will be reimbursed for the costs incurred. Consumers also rely on an independent and healthy aftermarket for local and good-quality service, and this has been an issue for me and I am grateful to colleagues here for their support on this.

I am pleased to have achieved improved access to manufacturer information for independent repairers. This makes the market stronger for the benefit of consumers.

In conclusion, this regulation delivers a stronger, more transparent system to ensure cars on our roads are safe and clean. It delivers for car owners, for the environment and for manufacturers, with standards fairly applied and appropriately applied across the board. I want to thank all the shadow rapporteurs for their work. and to Cameron Smith and Alex Davis in my office for the immense work that they have done. I put this report to the Parliament and I look forward to hearing your views in today’s debate.

  Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, I am really glad to be here with you today because it allows me once again to underline the importance I attach to this proposal.

Dieselgate opened our eyes and showed the need for far-reaching reforms. The EMIS Committee and the Commission’s own investigations revealed the shortcomings of the present system. What we have discovered is not only about Volkswagen. The whole industry operated in a grey zone. Almost all companies bent the rules, some even cheated and our type—approval authorities took their enforcement responsibilities very lightly.

We are faced with a systemic failure of the type—approval system in Europe. That needs to change radically and it needs to change urgently. Enforcement of the type—approval framework is the responsibility of the Member States, as all of us know, but the last two years have shown that only a few of them have taken serious action against emission-cheating.

No car manufacturer has been fined for cheating so far, and only a few Member States have issued mandatory calls for non—compliant cars. This is one of the reasons I have consistently called for a reshuffle of the whole approval system, more checks on the ground and more EU governance.

The proposals that you will vote on tomorrow are a key instrument to achieve this. I have also always supported the Parliament’s request for compensation for consumers. The situation in the EU is wrong when companies refuse to compensate consumers for misleading information on environmental performance.

Let me say at this point that last week the Commission adopted the New Deal for Consumers initiative. It proposes legal instruments on representative actions and possibilities for consumer redress. At the last trialogue in December, as part of our discussion on penalties, Parliament asked the Commission to make a declaration referring to the adoption of the New Deal for Consumers package to better protect consumers and ensure a more effective consumer redress mechanism.

I have the pleasure of confirming today that the text of this declaration, together with the other declarations, is being transmitted to Parliament’s services. If such rules had been in place when the Dieselgate scandal broke out, consumer organisations and independent public bodies could have launched representative actions and sought redress for the consumers affected. With this proposal, once adopted, victims of unfair commercial practices will be in a position to obtain remedies collectively.

I very much welcome the agreement between Parliament and the Council. I am looking forward to having a final deal tomorrow. With this vote tomorrow, you will send a strong and clear message to the players in this sector. I am pleased that the final outcome upheld most of the proposals from the Commission and improved some of them.

I am especially happy that the main pillars of our Commission’s proposals were confirmed. They are reinforcing the independence and quality of approvals that allow a car to be placed on the market, introducing an effective market surveillance system to ensure that cars placed on the market comply with EU rules, not only at the time of approval, but also when they circulate on our roads, and reinforcing the whole system with greater European oversight to ensure a coherent implementation throughout Europe.

Those three points are really crucial to ensure that everyone involved complies fully with the rules and applies the requirements in a harmonised way. I commend the hard work of the rapporteur and shadow rapporteurs. This was a huge effort from your side and I know it has not been an easy process. It has not been for us either.

The car sector is crucial for meeting our EU climate targets so we also need to improve the measurement of real-life CO2 emissions as soon as possible. We will come back to that in the discussion on the CO2 package that we proposed last November.

But overall this is a good deal that significantly improves the present situation. I am sure that with the type—approval package, as it is finalised tomorrow, this will be a big step forward towards safer and cleaner cars in Europe. It will also help to rebuild the trust of citizens in their authorities. I very much trust that you will finalise it tomorrow.

Commission Statement

(in writing)

The link between the different EU and national databases (Article 9a)

The Commission shares the views of the legislator that interconnection between the different databases used for type-approval and market surveillance should be ensured. As some databases are managed individually by Member States, successful interconnection will depend on the full cooperation of Member States.

The New Deal for Consumers

The Commission is concerned by mass harm situations affecting interests of consumers, as illustrated by the revelations in September 2015 about car manufacturers circumventing emissions standards for certain air pollutants, and sees the limits of existing national procedural means to secure appropriate consumer redress in such situations. The Commission has adopted a proposal on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers [COM(2018)184] as part of the New Deal for Consumers package on 11 April 2018, with the aim to empower qualified entities to launch representative actions on behalf of consumers and to introduce stronger sanctioning powers for Member States' consumer authorities. With this proposal, once adopted, victims of unfair commercial practices, such as misleading advertising by car manufacturers not in compliance with the Union regulatory framework for type approval of vehicles or environmental legislation, will be in a position to obtain remedies collectively.

The obligatory market checks on the market by the Commission (Article 9)

The Commission welcomes that the markets checks to be carried out by the Commission were confirmed by the legislator. It is now essential that the legislator also ensures that this activity is properly financed in particular in the context of the Commission proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework.

The status quo for end of series (Article 47)

The Commission regrets that for end-of series, instead of an EU procedure, the future legislation will maintain the status quo of a national procedure which is burdensome for importers, vehicles manufacturers, national and regional authorities. The current procedure also has no value added for safety and environment and creates problems for the internal market of used vehicles.

The rules on the committee work

For Committee rules; the Commission underlines that it is contrary to the letter and to the spirit of regulation 182/2011 (OJ L 55 of 28.2.2011, p. 13) to invoke Article 5§4, subparagraph 2, point b) in a systematic manner. Recourse to this provision must respond to a specific need to depart from the rule of principle which is that the Commission may adopt a draft implementing act when no opinion is delivered. Given that it is an exception to the general rule established in Article 5§4 recourse to subparagraph 2, point b), cannot be simply seen as a "discretionary power" of the Legislator, but must be interpreted in a restrictive manner and thus must be justified.

The deletion of the delegation to the Commission to regulate CO2 in-use testing defeat device (Article 91)

The Commission regrets that the initial Commission proposal to regulate in-service-conformity of CO2 emissions through implementing legislation was not supported by the co-legislators. This will further delay the set-up of an in-service-conformity assessment procedure which is a core element for ensuring that the CO2 emission and fuel consumption values attributed to individual vehicles are reliable. The Commission has included a similar mandate in its proposal for new Light Duty Vehicle CO2 emission standards adopted on 8 November 2017 and calls on the co-legislators to support it.

  Christofer Fjellner, föredragande av yttrande från utskottet för miljö, folkhälsa och livsmedelssäkerhet. – Herr talman! Bilindustrin står inte högt i kurs i Europa just nu. Fusket med utsläppen från dieselbilar, dieselgate, där man medvetet lurade myndigheter och konsumenter till skada för miljön och människors hälsa, har kostat mycket i förtroende med inte alls särskilt mycket i Europa sett till pengar för industrin, och det är ett problem i sig.

Det var tydligt när vi arbetade med den här lagstiftningen att det är många som är väldigt besvikna på bilindustrin. Därför är det många som just nu i olika typer av lagstiftning kräver nya hårdare krav, tuffare regler, mindre utsläpp. Men det är inte hårda nya krav vi egentligen behöver. Vad vi behöver är ju kontroll över att de krav som vi redan har ställt är någonting man lever upp till. Vi kan ha hur hårda krav som helst, men finns det ingen som kontrollerar vet vi inte om människor kommer leva upp till dem. Det är därför den här lagstiftningen är så viktig och så bra, för här får vi kontroll, transparens och kännbara straff.

Som ledamot och ansvarig för frågan i miljöutskottet är jag riktigt stolt över det arbete vi gjorde, särskilt att vi fixade finansiering till kontrollen, för utan pengar så blir det sällan någonting. Därför tror jag att det är viktigt att vi i morgon röstar för detta, så att vi inte bara stiftar nya lagar om nya regler och nya krav, utan att vi ser till att de krav vi ställer också är någonting som tillverkarna tvingas leva upp till.

  Karima Delli, rapporteure pour avis de la commission des transports et du tourisme. – Monsieur le Président, mes chers collègues, voilà plus de deux ans que le scandale du Dieselgate a éclaté. Tout le monde savait: les constructeurs automobiles, les États, la Commission. Notre mission au Parlement européen, c’était de mettre fin à cette impunité. Qu’avons-nous fait? Ni retrait des véhicules, ni réelle compensation des consommateurs, ni amende pour les constructeurs qui ont fraudé.

Monsieur Dalton, il y a effectivement des avancées dans votre rapport mais au Parlement européen, on a empêché la création d’une agence indépendante de surveillance du marché automobile au moment même où M. Trump veut supprimer l’agence américaine équivalente pour pouvoir polluer à tout va.

Pourtant, mes chers collègues, nous faisons face à des urgences. Tout d’abord, 30 millions de véhicules poubelles polluent encore nos routes. Ensuite, deuxième urgence, la maladie du XXIe siècle: la pollution de l’air, qui provoque encore 400 000 morts prématurées par an.

Alors, je vous le dis, même si ce rapport est une avancée, il ne suffira pas à clore cette histoire du Dieselgate pour passer à un véritable après-Dieselgate.

  Ivan Štefanec, za skupinu PPE. – Vážený pán  predsedajúci, dámy a páni, dovoľte mi, aby som sa najskôr veľmi pekne poďakoval spravodajcovi pánovi Daltonovi za obrovský kus práce, ale takisto ostatným kolegom, tieňovým spravodajcom a Európskej komisii, ktorá bola vždy otvorená, vždy pripravená komunikovať a predovšetkým hľadať spoločné riešenia, ktoré naozaj tak potrebujeme. Som rád, že tieto riešenia sa nám najskôr v našom výbore a potom aj spolu v trialógu naozaj podarilo nájsť.

Chcel by som zdôrazniť predovšetkým tri veci. Po prvé, je zrejmé, že veľmi potrebujeme novú legislatívu pre schvaľovanie nových vozidiel. Po druhé, je naozaj zrejmé, že potrebujeme rovnaké pravidlá v našom spoločnom európskom priestore a "dieselgate" sa už nemôže opakovať. Naši občania nemôžu byť klamaní. A do tretice je zrejmé, že potrebujeme lepšie chrániť životné prostredie, ale aj myslieť na rozvoj nových technológií a na zamestnanosť v Európskej únii.

Na tejto výslednej podobe novej legislatívy sme pracovali viac než rok. A výsledkom je zmena metodológie, nové kompetencie, ale aj súčinnosť európskej úrovne a národných štátov. Zavádzajú sa testy v plnej prevádzke, posilňujú sa kompetencie Komisie a zabezpečuje sa jednotný postup a jednotný výklad pravidiel v celej Únii. Udalosti minulých rokov ukázali, že je to naozaj veľmi, veľmi potrebné. Som si istý, že nepotrebujeme nové inštitúcie, ale potrebujeme rýchlu podstatnú zmenu, ktorá bude fungovať. Nepotrebujeme nové náklady, ale potrebujeme jasné pravidlá. A nepotrebujeme rozhádané členské štáty, ale potrebujeme rovnaké pravidlá pre náš spoločný trh. Výstup z trialógu je naozaj dobrým návrhom a verím, že ho podporí každý, komu záleží na skutočnej zmene a ochrane záujmov našich občanov.

(potlesk)

  Christel Schaldemose, for S&D-Gruppen. – Hr. formand! Fru kommissær, kolleger! Jeg har glædet mig rigtig meget til denne dag. Langt om længe kan vi sætte et både juridisk og et politisk punktum for dieselgateskandalen. Og vi gør det på en ordentlig måde. For selv om vi europæiske socialdemokrater rigtig gerne havde set en endnu mere ambitiøs lovgivning, så står vi trods alt ved en vigtig milepæl i dag.

Med den nye lovgivning, vi nu får, vil vi få et langt mere robust system til både godkendelse og kontrol af bilerne på det europæiske marked - langt bedre end det, vi har i dag. Hvorfor er det overhovedet nødvendigt? Jo, dieselgate afslørede jo, at en række bilproducenter bevidst snød med dieselbilernes udslip af de sundhedsskadelige NOx-gasser. Det var ikke alene ulovligt, det var også dødbringende! Det har kostet flere tusinder EU-borgere livet, at de ikke overholdt de regler, vi havde på området. Det er uacceptabelt! Det er en skandale, at de snød, men det er også en skandale, at vores system ikke var i stand til at opfange det - at vi ikke selv opdagede det. Det var amerikanerne, som opdagede vores problem med dieselgate. Men det retter vi altså op på nu med denne lov.

Der kommer langt mere og langt bedre kontrol, både inden bilerne kommer ud på markedet, og også når de kører. Noget af det helt nye er, at vi faktisk pålægger medlemsstaterne meget direkte, at de skal kontrollere biler - ikke bare efter deres eget forgodtbefindende, men vi sætter nogle måltal på, hvor meget de skal kontrollere. Og ikke nok med det: vi har også lært, at bliver nødt til at kontrollere, at vi gør det godt nok. Derfor giver vi også EU-Kommissionen kompetencer til og mulighed for selv at forestå markedskontrol. Jeg tror, at det er noget meget centralt, og jeg tror også, at det vil være en del af det, der gør, at vi kan forhindre en ny dieselgate i fremtiden.

Men ikke nok med det: Det er også vigtigt, at vi kan sanktionere, hvis vi finder snyd i fremtiden. Med de massive bøder, vi lægger op til, hvis man snyder, så tror vi, at det vil have en forebyggende effekt. Endelig gør vi det også muligt for NGO’er at hjælpe os med at få tjekket markedet. Vi ved, det var amerikanske NGO’er, som opdagede svindlen med folkevogn. Vi skaber et mere transparent system med en online database, som gør, at der også er andre, der kan være med til at tjekke efter. Det er rigtigt vigtigt.

Jeg vil også gerne sige, at hvis det ikke havde været for de europæiske socialdemokrater, så tror jeg faktisk ikke, vi havde fået så godt et system, som det, vi ender med at få. Der var nemlig mange både i Rådet og her i Parlamentet, der ikke var lige så ambitiøse, som vi var. Så jeg er rigtig stolt i dag, og jeg tror også, at de europæiske borgere bliver rigtig glade for det, vi nu gør.

  Anneleen Van Bossuyt, namens de ECR-Fractie. – Voorzitter, eerst en vooral wil ik ook graag rapporteur Dan Dalton bedanken voor al zijn goede werk. Ik denk dat de dieselgate een harde realiteit blootgelegd heeft, namelijk dat de huidige regels hebben gefaald. Ik ben dan ook zeer tevreden met deze nieuwe, efficiëntere regels die een streng politiek signaal afgeven om de mazen in het wetgevend net te gaan dichten. Op die manier kunnen we duidelijk aangeven dat dit nooit meer kan en mag gebeuren.

Het is enkel door een goede samenwerking tussen de lidstaten en Europa dat we onze volksgezondheid, ons milieu, kortom de Europese burger beter zullen kunnen beschermen. Door een versterkt Europees markttoezicht en natuurlijk ook door een beter toezicht op de uitvoering en de handhaving van de regels, moeten de uitstootschandalen nu voor eens en voor altijd naar de geschiedenisboeken verwezen worden.

  Dita Charanzová, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Mr President, almost three years have almost passed since the Dieselgate scandal broke, and a little over two years have passed since the Commission proposed a revised type-approval regulation. We finally vote tomorrow on this important file, and we can now say that the EU is reacting effectively to the scandal and delivering strong legislation – legislation that will help restore consumers’ trust and make sure our common rules are fully respected.

It was obvious that the EU needed upgraded legislation in this matter so that there are no more loopholes such as have been used in the past by some manufacturers to bypass the EU’s rules. I am convinced that the trilogue negotiations were able to reach this goal, and I hope this House sees it in a similar way.

Personally, I am glad that this new law will help to fix the system by introducing clear rules on market surveillance, with specific targets for the Member States to meet. This set of measures is, in my view, a major benefit of this regulation which should help to solve the situation on EU roads. It also gives new competences to the Commission to intervene. Both Member States and the Commission can act not only when type-approving a vehicle, but also when the vehicle is in production or in use. There will be enhanced control over Member States’ authorities, both issuing type-approvals and carrying out market surveillance, as well as technical services and other relevant stakeholders. Key now is the proper implementation and enforcement of this regulation.

I am also glad that a new system of strict penalties has been introduced which could be imposed on manufacturers in case they produce and place on market non-compliant vehicles. In general, I believe that this outcome meets adequately our expectations and provides a robust and reliable framework which fits with our ambitions in the area of protection of the environment and protection of consumers’ rights.

  Pascal Durand, au nom du groupe Verts/ALE. – Monsieur le Président, j’entends les satisfactions qui s’expriment sur les bancs de ce Parlement et si, moi-même, je félicite le rapporteur M. Dalton pour le travail qui a été accompli et le fait que nous ayons essayé de trouver un accord, je félicite également, à travers vous Mme la Commissaire, la Commission pour son texte initial et, au-delà de la Commissaire, les services de la Commission, qui ont fait un gros travail.

Je regrette l’absence aujourd’hui du Conseil parce que la question du Dieselgate, c’est d’abord et avant tout la question de la schizophrénie des États qui étaient au courant des fraudes, comme cela a été dit tout à l’heure. Simplement, à partir du moment où l’on ne casse pas le lien ombilical entre les services des autorités nationales, entre les certifications d’homologation et les constructeurs, on n’arrive pas à trouver la solution parce que, tout simplement, l’industrie automobile est trop importante pour ces États-là.

Donc, nous avons avancé sur cette question, mais nous avons échoué à faire en sorte que l’Europe se montre à la hauteur en prenant elle-même, par l’intermédiaire de la Commission et d’une nouvelle agence, la responsabilité de ces homologations. Nous avons progressé, mais nous avons encore beaucoup de chemin à faire et je compte sur la Commission pour qu’elle propose des textes en ce sens dans les mois et les années à venir.

  Merja Kyllönen, GUE/NGL-ryhmän puolesta. – Arvoisa puhemies, hyvät kollegat, kiitos edustajakollega Daltonille hyvästä veturimiehen työstä tärkeässä asiassa. Eurooppalaiset kuluttajat tarvitsevat luotettavaa, riippumatonta ja laadukasta tyyppihyväksyntää sekä markkinavalvontaa. Tämä tietysti maksaa, ja olisi hyvä, että jäsenvaltiot myöskin antavat reilusti tarvittavat resurssit tähän toimintaan.

Kiitos autojen dieselpäästöskandaalin on autojen tyyppihyväksynnän ja markkinavalvonnan ongelmat tiedossa. Osa niistä porsaanrei´istä, joita ahne autoteollisuus niin mielellään ja tehokkaasti hyödyntää, onnistutaan nyt tukkimaan. Tyyppihyväksynnän ja markkinavalvonnan täytyy olla riippumatonta ja puolueetonta. Autoteollisuudella ei tulisi olla minkäänlaista roolia, kun toimitetaan autoja tyyppihyväksyntäviranomaisille ja maksetaan saaduista palveluista. Ei voi olla niin, että meillä on pukki kaalimaan vartijana. Ei enää sellaisia virheitä, kiitos.

Olisin mielelläni nähnyt tutkimuslaitoksien kuuluvan tyyppihyväksyntäviranomaisille eikä autoteollisuudelle. Meillä olisi ollut nyt mahdollisuus korjata kaikki ne tyyppihyväksynnän ja markkinavalvonnan ongelmat, joita päästöskandaalin myötä tuli ilmi ja joita EMIS-tutkintavaliokunnassa havaittiin. Valitettavasti ei ihan päästy siihen lopputulokseen, mutta olen kiitollinen siitä, että näitä rohkeita askeleita sentään uskallettiin ottaa.

  Marco Zullo, a nome del gruppo EFDD. – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, mi congratulo anche con il relatore Dalton per il risultato ottenuto, anche se, per essere onesto, io mi considero moderatamente soddisfatto, perché il progetto iniziale poteva essere decisamente più ambizioso.

È vero, in parte abbiamo superato quelli che sono i conflitti di interesse tra controllore e controllato; abbiamo rafforzato la sorveglianza di mercato, con un target minimo di controlli annuali sui nuovi veicoli, veicoli reali e quindi non prototipi; abbiamo la possibilità di infliggere delle multe per eventuali inadempienze; non si potrà più dire di non sapere, grazie ai controlli incrociati.

Però non abbiamo rotto del tutto quel legame tra controllato e controllore. Noi avremmo preferito un sistema che non permettesse alle case automobilistiche di finanziare i laboratori che garantiscono l'assistenza tecnica per le omologazioni e, in più, avremmo voluto che tutti i cittadini europei potessero beneficiare dello stesso sistema di risarcimento in tutta Europa, cosa che non avviene ancora.

  Andreas Schwab (PPE). – Herr Präsident, Frau Kommissarin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Auch ich möchte natürlich dem Berichterstatter und allen Schattenberichterstattern danken. Ich glaube, dass es gelungen ist, bei einem wirklich hochpolitischen und auch in der öffentlichen Diskussion schwierigen Dossier eine Lösung hinzubekommen, bei der wir vieles unter einen Hut bekommen haben. Zum einen sicherzustellen, dass die bestehenden Behörden der Mitgliedstaaten sich künftig in einem gemeinsamen europäischen System von Verantwortung für die Kontrolle der Fahrzeuge sehen, sehen müssen, auch deshalb, weil sie sich einer Kontrolle durch die Europäische Kommission gegenübersehen, die es früher so nicht gab.

Damit, glaube ich, haben wir es geschafft, dass die Mitgliedstaaten sich bei der Kontrolle selber stärker engagieren müssen und auch, dass die Unabhängigkeit der mitgliedstaatlichen Aufsichtsbehörden im Hinblick auf die Typzulassung gestärkt wurde. Das ist ein wichtiger Schritt, der dazu beiträgt, dass die Mitgliedstaaten eigene Verantwortlichkeiten in diesem Prozess stärker sehen, die sie früher leider nicht in dem Maße gesehen haben, wie dies notwendig gewesen wäre.

Zum Zweiten ist es wichtig, dass wir deutlich machen, dass die Fahrzeuge natürlich von den Herstellern in einer Weise auf den Markt gebracht werden müssen, dass sie den Regelungen entsprechen, die der Gesetzgeber erlassen hat, und keine Schlupflöcher ausgenutzt werden dürfen – und schon gar nicht in rechtswidriger Weise.

Das Dritte ist, dass wir auch mit der Entschließung, die wir jetzt schaffen, dafür gesorgt haben, dass das, was notwendig ist, jetzt nicht durch lange Diskussionen über den Aufbau einer neuen Behörde verzögert wird, sondern wir die Fachleute der Behörden, die wir heute schon haben, unmittelbar einsetzen können. Deswegen glaube ich, dass die Kommission und das Parlament hier einen wirklich guten Vorschlag entwickelt haben, der jetzt möglichst schnell in Kraft treten muss.

Herzlichen Dank an alle, die mitgewirkt haben.

  Nicola Danti (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, ci sono voluti due anni e mezzo, anche a causa delle resistenze di grandi gruppi d'interesse e delle posizioni di blocco di alcuni Stati membri, per trovare un accordo che stabilirà le regole più che soddisfacenti che dovrebbero evitare il ripetersi di un altro scandalo Volkswagen.

Un sistema di omologazione conniventi, con evidenti conflitti di interessi tra case automobilistiche, agenzie nazionali di controllo, spesso private e finanziati dalle stesse, sarà finalmente sostituito da un sistema di sorveglianza e di controllo più efficaci, con poteri anche della Commissione europea. Quest'ultima avrà finalmente un ruolo indipendente e di vero e proprio organo di garanzia, con la possibilità di effettuare test di emissioni su strada e ispezioni periodiche anche dei veicoli a motore che già sono presenti sul mercato.

Anche in materia di diritti dei consumatori questa proposta segna un passo avanti importante rispetto al passato: come socialisti e democratici, ci siamo battuti per far sì che i cittadini europei potessero beneficiare di strumenti di compensazione al pari di quelli americani. Non siamo riusciti a ottenere quanto auspicavamo. Tuttavia, l'aver stabilito che i proprietari di autovetture non conformi non siano in alcun modo costretti a sostenere le spese per la riparazione o per misure di richiamo è comunque un buon risultato.

Il duplice messaggio che oggi arriva dal Parlamento europeo è chiaro: i controlli sulle vetture e sulle loro emissioni saranno più credibili e i diritti dei consumatori, che in questi ultimi dieci anni sono stati truffati, saranno più forti.

  Lieve Wierinck (ALDE). – Voorzitter, het is nu ruim twee jaar geleden dat we te horen hebben gekregen dat een van de reuzen in de auto-industrie geknoeid had met de metingen voor de uitstoot van hun wagens. Naar aanleiding hiervan is er toen een onderzoekscommissie opgericht waarin we samen zochten naar de oorzaak ervan. Maar nog belangrijker, we moesten een manier vinden om een dergelijk bedrog van de consument in de toekomst te voorkomen.

Op basis van onze bevindingen hebben we toen een aantal aanbevelingen geformuleerd. Wanneer ik het voorstel bekijk dat vandaag voor ons ligt, ben ik blij te zien dat vele hiervan ook ter harte zijn genomen. Een voorstel voor lagere emissies en een gezonde lucht voor onze kinderen en kleinkinderen is dan ook een voorstel waar ik achter sta.

  Seán Kelly (PPE). – Mr President, one year ago I had the chance to speak on this report and to congratulate Mr Dalton and his colleagues on their good work. Today, I would like to reiterate my support of this important report, which will bring about huge changes and improvements to the car industry. In the past, we’ve had some car manufacturers falsifying fuel consumption and emissions claims due to self-interest and profit. This is completely unacceptable.

I believe that the changes introduced in this regulation will do much to re-establish consumer confidence in the car industry after the scandals of the past, often known as ‘dieselgate’. Even more importantly, this regulation will ensure that the health of our citizens and the environment are protected from these harmful emissions, causing up to 400 000 deaths per annum, as Ms Danti said.

I welcome the Commission’s simple role in this new and improved system. They are well positioned to assess vehicles and ensure that the new rules are adhered to. I was not convinced of the supposed benefits of introducing an agency, as the Commission can do the job well and cost—effectively.

I am pleased that random market surveillance will be introduced, testing one in five types every year. This new system will test emissions, but also safety standards of cars. The penalty system is vital to bring a strong establishment for these changes. Those who comply with the regulation have nothing to worry about, but those who consider ignoring the requirements will be deterred by the penalties increasing in proportion with the number of non-compliances. A good job.

  Miriam Dalli (S&D). – Sur President, Sentejn u nofs wara d-Diesel Gate - aktar minn qatt qabel - dan huwa ż-żmien li naċċertaw ruħna li jkollna r-riżultati. U din il-liġi, li bħala Soċjalisti u Demokratiċi tant ħdimna fuqha, tipprovdi sistema ġdida għall-approvazzjoni tal-vetturi u għas-sorveljar tas-suq li jistgħu, iva, ikunu b’saħħithom.

Hawnhekk nixtieq nirringrazzja wkoll lill-Kummissjoni għaliex il-ftehim li għandna issa għandu l-potenzjal li jiżgura li l-kontrolli, is-salvagwardji u t-trasparenza, li huma nieqsa mis-sistema kurrenti, u li tant neħtieġu, jidħlu fil-fatt fis-seħħ. Jekk implimentata sew, din il-liġi tista’ tgħin biex nipproteġu l-ambjent filwaqt li tgħin ukoll l-industrija tal-karozzi tikseb lura l-fiduċja tal-konsumaturi.

Is-sostenibilità għandha tkun il-qafas prinċipali tal-pjanijiet u l-politika kollha tagħna. Issa rridu naraw li dawn il-pjanijiet u l-policies jiġu implimentati kif suppost, għaliex finalment dan biss jista’ jiżgura li n-nies verament jieħdu dak li jħallsu għalih, u li ċ-ċittadini tagħna ma jħallsux il-prezz għal karozzi li jniġġsu ħafna aktar milli suppost.

  Maria Grapini (S&D). – Domnule președinte, doamnă comisar, stimați colegi, vreau de la bun început să-l felicit pe raportor, colegul Dalton, dar și pe raportorii din umbră și pe toți colegii care, așa cum spunea doamna comisar, au adus îmbunătățiri la propunerea Comisiei.

Cred că trebuie să fie o învățătură de minte, pentru că, de fapt, noi acum am reacționat la un caz, nu am venit preventiv să verificăm un document, o reglementare pe care o avem pentru piața internă și poate că, în viitor, vom fi mai prudenți. Ce vreau să subliniez aici este că, da, cu siguranță, cu acest nou cadru juridic vom avea o îmbunătățire a reglementării în piața internă în ceea ce privește autovehiculele, omologarea de tip, nu numai a autovehiculelor, a componentelor.

Mă bucur foarte mult că a fost introdus și am susținut dintotdeauna ca și importatorii să se supună acelorași reguli și distribuitorii să se supună acelorași reguli. Este cuprins acest lucru în raport. Și eu cred că, printr-o colaborare foarte bună între autoritățile naționale și Comisie, putem să supraveghem și să avem rezultate mai bune și pentru protecția consumatorului, și pentru - în circulație - reducerea riscului, dar și pentru protecția mediului.

Zgłoszenia z sali

  Olga Sehnalová (S&D). – Paní komisařko, revize nařízení pro schvalování motorových vozidel je přirozenou a nevyhnutelnou reakcí na rozpor, který vznikl mezi nastavenými pravidly, jejich skutečným plněním a dozorem, který by měl v rámci celého vnitřního trhu veškeré nesrovnalosti včas odhalit. Důsledné oddělení schvalovacích orgánů a orgánů pro dozor nad trhem, povinnosti sdílení informací v případě zjištěných nedostatků nebo možnost prověřit již na trh uvedená vozidla přispějí k vyšší transparentnosti celého systému a umožní nastavení rovných pravidel pro všechny aktéry. Případný nesouhlas s právními předpisy nesmí v konečném důsledku zaplatit koncový spotřebitel. Naopak, spotřebitelé by měli mít v případě, že jim vznikne škoda, nárok požadovat náhradu. Proto také vítám návrh tzv. nové politiky pro spotřebitele, který má doplnit stávající nástroje umožňující spotřebitelům domoci se svých práv a zavést institut hromadných žalob.

  Eleonora Evi (EFDD). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, per evitare in futuro il ripetersi di scandali come il dieselgate, questo regolamento segna indubbiamente un passo avanti. Rimane, però, a mio avviso, molto da fare, soprattutto sul fronte della trasparenza e della tutela dei consumatori – è stato detto da alcuni colleghi oggi. La possibilità di svolgere verifiche indipendenti sulle auto omologate è ancora limitata e i cittadini europei non possono usufruire di un sistema di risarcimenti uniforme in tutta l'Unione.

Non possiamo permetterci di abbassare la guardia ed è anche un altro il fronte su cui dobbiamo agire per mettere al riparo la salute dei cittadini e tutelare l'ambiente: dobbiamo garantire che le emissioni di CO2 misurate in laboratorio corrispondano a quelle nel mondo reale. Ad oggi, infatti, è la forbice tra le emissioni misurate in laboratorio e quelle simulate è pari al 40 % e si allargherà se non risolviamo questo problema con dei test di verifica su strada.

Per questo, come Movimento Cinque Stelle, noi continueremo a batterci per la l'introduzione di una procedura di verifica delle emissioni in condizioni di guida reale.

  Nicola Caputo (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, l'industria automobilistica rappresenta il 6,4 % del prodotto interno lordo e genera due milioni e mezzo di posti di lavoro nell'Unione europea. Il caso Volkswagen ha messo in luce tutte le carenze nell'attuazione delle norme di omologazione per i veicoli a motore nell'Unione europea, in particolare relativamente alle norme sulle emissioni.

L'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha più volte ribadito che i gas di scarico emessi dai motori diesel sono cancerogeni. La frode commessa dalle case automobilistiche non è stata solo dannosa per la salute e per l'ambiente, ma anche – e in misura considerevole – per le finanze pubbliche. Si stima che le dichiarazioni mendaci sui gas di scarico abbiano creato in Europa una perdita fiscale superiore ai 46 miliardi di EUR.

Con questo regolamento si creano le condizioni per garantire un'applicazione efficace della normativa comunitaria e una funzionale vigilanza sul mercato. Si rafforza la qualità delle prove, migliorando innanzitutto le disposizioni relative alle autorità di omologazione. Ora dobbiamo agire in fretta per l'attuazione: sono in gioco la fiducia e la salute dei cittadini e il tempo è scaduto!

(Koniec zgłoszeń z sali)

  Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, first I want to warmly thank Members for the support for the high level of ambitions in this proposal, expressed literally by all of you. As any discussion is connected to the budget in some way or another, let me say that we must make sure – and this is my pledge to you – that the Commission is well equipped to carry out the new responsibilities properly.

Again, let me stress that this reform is really vital to ensure sufficient EU oversight and prevent any future misconduct. Together with our real-conditions driving tests we will ensure that what has been approved on paper will be matched in the reality. The reform is also important to pave the way for connected and automated cars, to reduce air pollution and to reach our climate target, which is extremely important. It will be the key, as many of you mentioned, to restoring public confidence.

I also want to assure you that it will ensure the full independence of market surveillance. We never want to see a repetition of the Dieselgate scandal again and this proposal is really a key tool to ensure it.

Again a really, really warm ‘thank-you’ to the rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs. Thank you very much for the support and the cooperation.

  Daniel Dalton, rapporteur. – Mr President, I would like to thank all the speakers for their comments. Parliament had a strong and effective team which helped to deliver this result, and that is reflected in the comments that we’ve seen from across the chamber. I want to thank all the shadows and all the colleagues who took part in this process. It’s important, of course, that we adopt the report tomorrow. I believe that this report can serve as a lasting reform of the whole vehicle approval process.

I would just leave one word of warning, because I am a little bit concerned to hear of plans from the Commission to present amendments to the type-approval framework in the context of the Brexit process. This should be of concern to everyone in this Chamber, because cars on the road today are not wholly covered by EU-only approvals. There is an international mechanism for mutual recognition of vehicle approvals, which is maintained in this report. A common sense approach would allow for a deeper system of mutual recognition here, along the lines of what is foreseen with other third countries such as Japan, under the new economic partnership.

Instead, under the flag of providing business certainty, changes to the system affecting UK vehicle approvals would have huge repercussions all over Europe. For example, a Czech car, built in the Czech Republic by Czech workers, couldn’t be sold in the Czech domestic market if it had a UK-type approval. The situation is similar in Germany, in Italy and in Spain, and anywhere there is a UK-type approval.

The regulation of motor vehicles is a success story for international cooperation globally. It has been a success story for European cooperation over the last 40 years. That will continue after the UK leaves the EU. I’m very pleased that we’ve got this report today and I thank everyone for the support they gave me, but just a word of warning there to the Commission that we need to make sure that we continue this cooperation and success in this area going forward.

  Przewodniczący. – Zamykam debatę.

Głosowanie odbędzie się w czwartek 19 kwietnia 2018 r.

Oświadczenia pisemne (art. 162)

  Janusz Zemke (S&D), na piśmie. – Regulacje unijne związane z homologacją produktów motoryzacyjnych obejmują łącznie 3 kategorie pojazdów: pojazdy silnikowe i ich przyczepy, ciągniki oraz motocykle. Nie budzą wątpliwości regulacje prawne dotyczące motocykli i ciągników, gdyż wprowadzono je w 2013 roku, a praktyczna realizacja tych rozwiązań nie budzi większych kontrowersji.

Niestety, inaczej wyglądają kwestie związane z homologacją pojazdów silnikowych i ich przyczep. Mamy tutaj w praktyce 2 poważne problemy. Pierwszy problem polega na tym, że obowiązująca w tym obszarze dyrektywa z 2007 roku jest interpretowana w bardzo zróżnicowany sposób w poszczególnych 28 unijnych państwach. Powoduje to rażące obniżenie skuteczności stosowanego prawa unijnego.

Drugi problem, z jakim spotykamy się w ostatnich latach, to oszustwa, jakich dopuszczały się niektóre koncerny samochodowe, zwłaszcza niemiecki Volkswagen. Skandal ten polegał na manipulowaniu oprogramowaniem i podawaniu nieprawdziwych informacji o emisji CO2.

Dlatego też, przyjmując nowe rozporządzenie PE i Rady w sprawie homologacji i nadzoru rynku pojazdów silnikowych i ich przyczep musimy odpowiedzieć, czy zaproponowane rozwiązania pozwolą na eliminację dotychczasowych poważnych mankamentów w zakresie rzetelnej homologacji i nadzoru. Ma to bowiem fundamentalne znaczenie dla bezpieczeństwa pasażerów oraz ochrony środowiska naturalnego. W moim przekonaniu proponowane rozwiązania stwarzają takie szanse.