European Parliament votes for stronger green procurement obligation
"The European Parliament's Environment Committee [on 24 June] voted in favour of earlier implementation of plans making it mandatory for government authorities to ensure public transport fleets and other utility vehicles are clean and energy efficient."
According to EurActiv "MEPs want to make it compulsory for public authorities to consider not only the purchase price of buses, garbage lorries or delivery vans when acquiring them, but also their environmental impacts. The additional criteria would include life-cycle costs for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and air pollution and would enter into force as early as January 2010.
This is two years earlier than what the Commission is proposing, but it is more in line with the general approach approved by member states last week, which would allow authorities two years to comply as of the directive's entry into force."
Read the full article here:
Download PDF version of this page