the then Minister for Enterprise Annie Lööf (C) warned on emissions cheating in 2012. In a letter from a former EU commissioner urged her to “take necessary measures” to resolve “this important issue”. Photo: Lars Pehrson and Emma-Sofia Olsson
SvD revealed on Monday that the Swedish Transport Agency is already four years ago were indications that the auto industry manipulated their emission levels. But it does not stop there. the information about risk the automotive industry cheated emissions reached all the way up to the Swedish government: the former Minister and current Party leader Annie Lööf (C).
It was July 25, 2012 as the EU’s former industry commissioner Antonio Tajani wrote a letter directly set to Enterprise Annie Lööf. the letter was received by the Minister August 3, 2012, and describes black and white problems with suspected tampering and the auto industry does not live up to environmental standards – more than three years before Volkswagen’s emissions scandal became a world event.
the message Annie Lööf is that there is a strong need for action in the auto industry.
Photo: Emma-Sofia Olsson
the former industry commissioner Tajani write to Annie Lööf must track problems “poses serious safety and environmental risks” and products “falsified and manipulated.” Member states need to raise resources to track cars that do not meet current requirements and to then be able to take action, writes the Commissioner.
The letter calls Antonio Tajani, former Minister Annie Loof to “take necessary measures” to resolve “this important issue” and to ensure that only safe products can move freely in the EU.
the reason for the letter is interesting. Tajani had prided itself just before the knowledge of the problems of fake software that detects the test situations in the EU emission test, as reported in the German weekly magazine der Spiegel. It took place in a meeting with the CEO of the supplier Schrader Electronics in May 2012.
In an email to SvD July 18 this year, writes Antonio Tajani, today Vice President of the European Parliament, following this:
– After meeting with the representative of Schrader Electronics written a letter to the Member States demanding that they force up surveillance measures in the automotive sector and implement the necessary measures to remove any products that do not measure up .
it was the letter that Loof received. Tajani emphasizes SvD that it is their responsibility to Bilbo law remains within the law – not the European Commission.
But even before the meeting with Schrader Electronics were Tajani told that it was very major differences between the nitrogen oxide emissions in typningstest and in the ordinary way. It was clear in a report by the EU’s own test center, the JRC which was completed in 2011. The study concluded that the gap between the emissions in traffic and emissions in automotive testing engines, which the Commission describes as “massive”, stir diesel cars NOx emissions. So just what Volkswagen’s extensive emissions cheating was.
But no one questioned the very elevated values outwards.
Another report from the Commission – ‘Action Plan for competitive and sustainable automotive sector in Europe “- makes 2012 also clear that “emissions of nitrogen oxides is probably much higher in real conditions than the statutory emission limits measured during a test cycle.”
even when was something. A source in the EU Commission has a very clear picture of why no quick action was taken after the reports have been presented:
– The automotive industry lobbied very hard to not get more real-world tests. Both here in Brussels but also in its member countries. Every time we tried to bring the issue forward delay member countries the process further, said a source with very good insight to SvD.
But the responsible Swedish minister Annie Lööf had not even had to turn to EU Commission to get more information about suspicions of cheating emissions. There had been enough to ask his own expert authority: Transport Agency.
As SvD wrote on Monday received Transport Agency, exactly two months before, in May 2012, a warning email from a concerned official of the European Commission, which pointed to risks to engineered exhaust tests. The official also described a stiff resistance from the automotive industry toward a test method that shows the actual nitrogen emissions rather than emissions in the laboratory – the method later revealed Volkswagen in the United States.
The e-mail would now Transport Agency not confess, despite SvD have a copy of it.
More available, however, the annual emission tests Transport Agency has done. They show, as well as EU tests, the large discrepancies between cars test values and emissions in traffic in terms of nitrogen oxide. The report from 2011 synthesis example deviations where all three cars let out about twice as much nitrogen oxide as the approval – emissions, with serious consequences for air quality, human health and climate change.
The Authority’s tests could not reveal the cheating methods, but signals that something was not right was a lot that summer of 2012 when Annie Lööf received the letter.
Only three years later discovered thus cheating in the US when Volkswagen had manipulated 11 million cars , most roll spirit in the EU. The cars have had up to a staggering 40 times the emissions in real traffic in the laboratory tests.
In his letter of July 2012 wishes to former industry commissioner Antonio Tajani Annie Lööf will return with information about what Sweden will do to managing emissions problems in the auto industry. If Tajani received any feedback is unclear, but outwardly remained silent from alliance government’s “green vote”.
SvD have searched Annie Lööf, but the former Minister declines to comment on Svenska Dagbladet’s tasks.
No comments:
Post a Comment