CO2 emissions from cars on downward trend in Europe

In 2013, average passenger car fleet emissions in the EU were 127g CO2/km compared to 186g CO2/km in 1995 - a 31.7 percent decrease over the period, according to the figures published by the European Environment Agency here today. "Thanks to huge efforts by European automobile manufacturers and billions of euros worth of investment in R&D, Europe's passenger cars and light commercial vehicles are the cleanest in the world," stated Erik Jonnaert, Secretary General of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, in a statement. Today, the automobile sector is on the right path to bringing down CO2 emissions to the levels required by the regulations, he noted. Some 12.9 million people - or 5.3 percent of the EU employed population - work in the automobile sector. The sector is also a key driver of knowledge and innovation, representing Europe's largest private contributor to R&D, with 32 billion euro invested annually