Labour MEP Declares ‘Win For Malta’ As Her Ambitious Car Emissions Plan Passes Crucial Vote
Labour MEP Miriam Dalli is a pretty popular figure in Malta but her stock may have just gone up considerably in Europe too, after she convinced the European Parliament to back her proposal to radically slash carbon dioxide emissions from cars.
According to the plan, car manufacturers across the EU must emit 40% less carbon dioxide in 2030 than in 2020/21, a more rigorous target than the 30% cut proposed by the European Commission and the 20% requested by manufacturer lobbyists.
Car manufacturer lobbyists warned the proposal would risk jobs and innovation in the sector, although proponents of the targets counter-argued any job losses would be offset by new jobs in the electricity and other sectors.
The vote as reported by the international press
MEPs backed Dalli’s proposal by 389 votes to 239 yesterday and, although the European People’s Party voted against it, its three Maltese MEPs Roberta Metsola, David Casa and Francis Zammit Dimech voted in favour. It still has a way to go before passing into law, Dalli now has a mandate to commence negotiations with the European Commission and the European Council.
The Labour MEP pitched her success as “a win for Malta”.
“This isn’t a win for the Socialists and Democrats alone, but a win for small countries like Malta, which managed to push forward an ambitious proposal despite its size limitations,” she said. “It does not matter that we come from a small country – we can make a positive difference.”