South West MEP in challenge to Kilroy

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 28th Jun 2004

South West MEP Graham Watson is backing a challenge to Robert Kilroy-Silk over his plans to 'wreck' the European Parliament.

Liberal Democrats are calling upon the former TV presenter to say whether he intends to mount an onslaught on new EU environment laws intended to curb global warming, fight pollution, and improve the energy efficiency of household goods.

The European Parliament will vote on all the measures later this year. MEPs have equal power with ministers to amend or reject the proposals.

Graham Watson claims that the laws are framed at an EU level either because they affect the single trading market to which Britain belongs, or because they deal with matters which pay no respect to national boundaries.

Liberal Democrats want the UKIP Euro-MP to reveal which of the new laws he hopes to wreck first.

The draft legislation requires car manufacturers to phase out the use of global warming gases in vehicle air conditioning systems. Ship operators in the North Sea and English Channel will have to use fuel containing less sulphur to reduce acid rain pollution. New specifications will set minimum energy-use standards for household products including kettles and microwave ovens.

Graham Watson said: "These are all improvements that require binding European agreements, and the EU mechanisms provide a cost-effective means of negotiating and enforcing them."

"In calling for environment laws to be made by individual governments Mr Kilroy-Silk sounds like a latter day King Canute. He will learn that wind and rain carrying pollution pays no attention to national boundaries."

"It is time for those who recognise that sovereignty must sometimes be shared to start challenging the myths and falsehoods of those who hate the whole idea of European Partnership."

Details of forthcoming EU environment laws below:

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

Key 2nd Reading Votes - Autumn 2004

Curbing Climate Change - Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases

Vehicle air conditioning systems use as a refrigerant HFC 134a, a gas with a global warming potential 1,300 times greater than carbon dioxide. Emissions from this source are expected to grow rapidly in coming years if no action is taken.

The European Parliament's amendments to this legislation will require that all vehicles sold within the EU shall, by the end of 2011, use refrigerants with a much lower impact upon climate change. The alternative refrigerant most favoured by car makers is carbon dioxide itself, which has a global warming potential of just one.

The EU legislation provides common environmental rules for car manufacturers selling vehicles within the European single market, and will prevent unfair competition from overseas manufacturers with less demanding standards. It will help individual nations meet the targets set for them by the Kyoto Protocol.

(Proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases)

Cutting Air Pollution - Sulphur in Liquid Fuels

Shipping is now one of the greatest sources of sulphur dioxide emissions in Europe, partly as a result of emissions from power stations having been much reduced. The tonnage of ships is increasing each year while the bunker fuel they use has a very high sulphur content. The result is acid rain formulation and air pollution that continues to kill thousands of people each year.

Air pollution is a transboundary problem. This legislation will place a 1.5% sulphur limit on marine fuels used by vessels operating in the North Sea, English Channel and Baltic Sea in order to reduce the effect of ship emissions on acidification in Northern Europe and on air quality.

(Proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive as regards the sulphur content of marine fuels)

Preventing Environmental Damage - Mining Waste

The proposed EU framework law (directive) requires extractive industries across Europe to meet minimum standards for the storage of waste. Disasters at Aberfan (1996) demonstrate that even inert waste can present a danger, but more often the risk comes from heavy metals released by the mining activity or used in processing; problems that led to well publicised environmental disasters in Spain (1998), when wetlands were poisoned, and in EU applicant Romania (2000), the latter polluting the Danube and affecting other countries downstream.

The UK extractive industries support this legislation. It is based on existing British practice and extends these sound principles to other EU nations.

(Proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive on the management of waste from the extractive industries)

Saving Money: Saving the Planet - Energy Standards for Products

This legislation provides the basis for new design standards governing the energy efficiency of many products manufactured and sold within the EU single market. It is intended to curb the unnecessary waste of energy which contributes to global warming, and will save consumers' money by cutting the amount of electricity used to power inefficient products.

(Proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive on establishing a framework for the setting of eco-design requirements for energy-using products)