Raising the costs of motoring do not benefit the environment

Publication date: 10 July 2008

PRESS RELEASE

Brussels, 10th July 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“The proposals published today by the European Commission will only raise the costs of motoring while not bringing any benefits to the environment” declared Wil Botman, Director-General of the FIA European Bureau.

“A proper assessment of the so-called external costs is still outstanding. The study on which the European Commission bases its policy proposals is merely a compilation of research results obtained on the basis of wrong assumptions. Moreover, an internalisation without a cost-benefit analysis is a nonsense. The approach chosen by the European Commission is therefore not acceptable to the FIA” continued Wil Botman.

“The European Commission, by persevering in its approach to internalise external costs without a proper cost-benefit analysis, contradicts the goals fixed by the Lisbon Agenda by unnecessarily burdening the European economy.”

Mobility is one of the greatest achievements of our modern European societies. The FIA believes that mobility is much too valuable to be the playground of an ideological war of unclear objectives. With its faulty approach, the European Commission seriously risks undermining Europe’s socio-economic welfare.

The FIA has on many occasions called on the European Commission to rethink its approach. Averting the negative effects of traffic is much more appropriate then charging for them. Actions to reduce environmental damage are the way forward.

Motorists face high fiscal burdens all over Europe. Since infrastructure expenditure is drastically below the revenues collected from specific motoring taxes and charges, motorists pay for external costs already. Further cost increases bear the danger of generating social exclusion and of diminishing the quality of life for European citizens.

Notes for editors:
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the world’s leading motoring organisation, represents via its affiliated members, national motoring and touring organisations over 100 million motorists worldwide and 34 million motorists in the European Union. Europe’s motoring and touring organisations have as their highest priority to make mobility more sustainable, i.e. more reliable, cleaner and safer while keeping it affordable for all.

For more information please contact: Olivier Lenz - Tel. +32 2 282 08 25