EU delays vote to get tough on car CO2

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU lawmakers have delayed a key vote on curbing carbon dioxide emissions from cars, allowing themselves time to make tougher demands on the car industry, they said on Wednesday.

They aim to reverse a weakening of the legislation at the hands of the European Parliament's influential industry committee on Monday, which outraged environmentalists and many politicians.

The European Commission, the EU's executive body, had originally proposed capping carbon dioxide emissions from new cars to an average of 130 grams per kilometer by 2012, compared with a current EU average of 158g.

It is hoped other improvements such as better tires, gears and air conditioning will take the level down to 120g.

But the industry committee voted on Monday to give the car industry an extra three year phase-in to meet the 130g target.

It also proposed reducing the penalties for car makers exceeding the emissions cap, and it weakened the legislation to the point where car makers would have to cut emissions by just 5 percent by 2012.

Cars contribute about 14 percent of EU carbon dioxide emissions and reining them in is seen as key to the bloc's ambitious goal of cutting CO2 by a fifth by 2020.

TOUGHER PENALTIES

The Parliament's environment committee, which has the final say in shaping the proposals ahead of a full parliament vote in October, had planned to vote on the car proposals next Tuesday.

But it has now set about increasing the penalties, and might also tighten the phase-in schedule, with the vote set back to September 22 or 25.

"We will fight for a more ambitious phase-in," German Green party MEP Rebecca Harms told Reuters. "Maybe some MEPs didn't realize what the proposals meant, but now it is clear."

The industry committee vote was the first of 15 key votes on climate issues this autumn, and many saw the weakening as an ominous sign that industry lobby groups were getting their way.

Environmental group Greenpeace says the phase-in would translate to car makers cutting emissions by just 8 grams, or 5 percent, by 2012.

"Maybe that's a wake-up call," said Harms. "This is a very important hour for the environment committee."

British Liberal MEP Chris Davies said he expected that negotiations ahead of the next vote would yield no change to the phase-in but would probably lead to higher penalties for non-compliance of around 95 euros per gram per kilometer per car.

A spokesman for environment group T&E said tough curbs were not just good for the environment, but also for consumers who are currently feeling the pain of high fuel prices.

"It's up to the environment committee to make sure Europeans get the fuel efficient cars they need now," he said.

(Reporting by Pete Harrison; editing by James Jukwey)