The European Union's nominee for climate commissioner said the EU should move as quickly as possible to deepen its emissions cuts, possibly by tightening current curbs on cars and tackling those from lorries. Denmark's Connie Hedegaard said on Friday the 27-nation bloc might have been too soft when it set rules for car emissions in 2008 in the face of energetic lobbying by auto giants such as BMW and Fiat.
The Dane held firm to current EU tactics in UN climate negotiations by saying the bloc would only extend its emissions-cutting target to 30 from 20 percent below 1990 levels if other countries followed suit.
"Is it not better... if we can squeeze out some few more percentages from other parties?" she said. But then added: "I would like us to go to the 30 percent as soon as possible." Hedegaard, a member of the Danish Conservative Party, was facing a European Parliament hearing to evaluate her for the job of EU climate chief. She argued hard in favour of bringing green growth into the mainstream of European recovery.
"This is not an anti-growth or an anti-jobs agenda - It's the opposite," she said. "If we drag our feet, Europe will lose. Lose growth, jobs, welfare."
"China is moving - and moving fast. The US now understands the message and moves rapidly on energy efficiency and technology. Like Japan, Brazil, South Korea. Europe's strongholds are challenged."
Green politicians warmed to her performance and suggested she would be approved when they vote on Jan. 26. She fended off criticism that she might have done more as president of the UN climate talks in December to prevent them ending in a weak and non-legally-binding deal.
"Irrespective of what we had done, some countries actually changed their strategy along the way, and at the end of day decided they didn't want this." Hedegaard also signalled where the EU's extra emissions cuts might come from in the future by outlining her vision for a clampdown on transport.
That could re-open the battle with auto-making nations France, Germany and Italy, which have argued the curbs would harm their national champions' ability to compete overseas.
"Often we've seen industry will protest and say it's going to be extremely difficult, in fact it's almost impossible," the Dane said. "But then it turns out that when we do these things, we can often do it quicker than claimed before, and they can do it even more ambitiously," she added. "This is a field where technology is really moving very fast." She noted the power of big auto, but advised she would be more receptive to lobbyists who proposed new methods of cutting emissions rather than inaction.
There is one area, however, where the car industry's conversations with Hedegaard will take a different tone - over her choice of official vehicle.
"I will take the best performing car on carbon dioxide and energy...We will see who wins that battle," she said. "I come from Denmark, which produces absolutely no cars, so I can tell you one thing - I wont take a Danish car."
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