Attempt to veto diesel test makes progress

A proposal for the European Parliament to block weaker diesel car emissions tests has cleared the first hurdle, with a strong majority voting in favour of a veto in the environment committee.

A plenary vote is now set to take place in January on whether to veto the rules agreed by member states in October.

The resolution, tabled by the S&D group, said that member states’ decision to raise diesel car emission limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx) by up to 110% was neither “explained nor justified”. The resolution reasserted the importance of strict emissions tests for diesel in the face of rising health concerns.