The European Commission is said to be putting together plans to change the region's new vehicle type approval process in the wake of the Volkswagen (VW) Group emissions situation. A draft proposal seen by Reuters said, "In the aftermath of the outburst of this scandal, strong calls have been made to the Commission to reinforce the type approval system, in particular by ensuring adequate supervisory mechanisms." It went on to say, "Substantial divergences in the interpretation and application of the rules entail the risk of undermining the effectiveness of the system and therefore the main policy objectives of ensuring the safety and health of citizens and the protection of the environment." Changes would include giving the Commission oversight of national bodies that are currently responsible for signing off on new vehicles. In addition, it would have new powers to impose fines for non-compliance. Furthermore, it would also allow other EU member states to recall cars approved by other nations in the region if they are found to breach environmental regulations. There is also a proposal for a non-direct payment mechanism by automakers to laboratories to carry out the test procedures to increase the independence of the process.
Significance: The draft legislation is expected to be released today (27 January) by the Commission, and had already been reportedly in the works during the past few months. Although this would not go as far as having a central regulator, which is thought to have been considered, if approved measures would take away the power of withdrawing type approval for a vehicle away from the issuing local agency in the EU. While the report has suggested that the proposal is already winning support from some quarters, with a Czech member of the European Parliament, Dita Charanzova, saying, "If adopted quickly by EU governments, these measures will contribute to restoring consumers' trust in the efficiency of EU control systems," it remains to be seen whether they can go through the process without being watered down. Indeed, there will be a great deal of national interest, particularly in countries where vehicle development and manufacturing are high up the agenda.
