Dieselgate must serve as an incentive for compliance with European emission standards

The European Parliament adopted new measures on European emission standards for combustion plants. They must influence air quality favourably, also in Flanders. MEP Mark Demesmaeker emphasises the need for European standards. “Firstly because air pollution is definitely a cross-border issue, but also in view of Dieselgate. Hopefully the VW scandal will really increase environmental awareness in Europe, on all levels.”

“On average every year ten thousand people die prematurely from air pollution,” says Demesmaeker. So the agreement on emission standards is also of vital importance for Flanders. “Thanks to these European rules Flanders will have to contend with less air pollution from its neighbouring countries. This also levels out the playing field because other countries will now also have to invest in new, environment-friendly technology.

Pioneering role
But Demesmaeker cautions that this package is only part of the solution. “Europe is still working on a revision of the directive on national emission ceilings. There are also other measures that already help improve air quality in Flanders. The pioneering role that the city of Antwerp is playing by implementing a low-emission zone and the greening of the car tax are just a couple of examples that come to mind. These are sound policy choices, when you take into account that the health care cost associated with air pollution in Belgium amounts to 22 billion euros.”

Paper tigers
Finally, Dieselgate also demonstrates that paper legislation is not sufficient. “Our strict norms are merely paper tigers if they are not correctly implemented, effectively monitored and efficiently enforced,” Demesmaeker concludes.