Local authorities are pushing for a watering down of a proposed EU Directive which would insist that at least 25% of the heavier vehicles they buy or lease meet higher environmental standards.

The Committee of the Regions, representing local authorities in Brussels, wants the requirement to increase the number of refuse-collection lorries, buses and other vehicles of 3.5t or above exceeding the Euro V emission standard – by using biofuels, natural gas or other innovative power sources – to be voluntary. The proposal states that a quota-based agreement would allow economies of scale in production of the vehicles. The stance was criticised by the committee’s Liberal group, which said voluntary agreements had been ineffective in the past.

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