EP starts inquiries over emission scandal

The European Parliament's new inquiry committee involving the 'dieselgate' emissions scandal of European car manufacturers met Wednesday to define its priorities, TASR learnt on Thursday. Ivan Štefanec, the only Slovak MEP on this committee, emphasised that the aim of the committee is not to punish anyone but to create an environment conducive for the automobile industry to develop in line with the valid legislation. "The automobile industry in the EU directly and indirectly employs almost 12 million people. Undue regulation could facilitate a loss of the flagship status of this industrial sector. There is no contradiction between emission reduction and further development of automobile industry," stated the Slovak MEP. He also said that most cars manufactured in Europe run on diesel, thus they have lower fuel consumption and produce less carbon monoxide.