Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology

1. Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology FrazerGoodwin European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E)

2. Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology The Fundamental Questions : 1. What do V.A.s need to Work ? 2. Are they the quickest policy measure ? 3. Are they the most effective measure ?

3. Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology 1. What do V.A.s need to Work ? The Dutch experience : • Widespread use of V.A.s in NL • Shift over time from aspirational to contractual form • Recognition of consensual NL backdrop • Need for “a stick behind the door”

4. Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology 1. What do V.A.s need to Work ? Criteria According to European Commission Communication 96/561 • Contractual form • Quantified objectives • Monitored results • Public information, transparency • Independent verification • Additional guarantees (e.g. Sanctions) • Compliance with Treaty

5. Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology 1. Do the CO2/Car V.A.s have what’s needed? Only concluded when threat of regulation thought realistic • Contractual form • Quantified objectives • Monitored results • Public information, transparency • Independent verification • Additional guarantees (e.g. Sanctions) • Compliance with Treaty

6. Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology 2. Are they the quickest policy measure ? 26 June 1991 - Directive 91/441/EEC, Article 5 : Acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission, which will take account of the results of work in progress on the greenhouse effect, the Council shall decide on measures designed to limit CO2 emissions from motor vehicles

7. Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology 2. Are they the quickest policy measure ? • 26 June 1991 - Directive 91/441/EEC, Article 5 • 20 December 1995 Commission Communication COM(95)689 “A Community strategy to reduce CO2 emissions from passenger cars and improve fuel economy”.

8. Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology 2. Are they the quickest policy measure ? • 26 June 1991 - Directive 91/441/EEC, Article 5 • 20 December 1995 EC Strategy • July 1998 ACEA / EC agreement • 1999 JAMA / KAMA agreements Same period saw : emission standards revised twice (94/12/EC & 98/69/EC) and two Auto Oil Programmes

9. Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology 3. The most effective measure ? • Early days in which to judge the actual agreements • Effectiveness dependent upon government action not just ACEA • Difficult to push technology without political commitment • Consumer lead technology development the quickest

10. Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology What “extras” are needed from governments ? • Research and development support e.g. USA • Fiscal instruments to aid consumer adoption of new technology • Fuel taxes fixed to “push” the market • Fuel quality and availability

11. Voluntary Agreements & Transport Technology Conclusions • VA can form an element in a coherent package of measures • The conditions for this to work are not in place for the current VAs • There are no easy “quick fixes” without the necessary political will • Improved technology ON ITS OWN is not going to be sufficient to tackle rising TRANSPORT CO2 emissions