Slowing German Drivers

Germany has no intention of slowing down its famously speedy drivers. Politicians and carmakers criticized the suggestion by European Union environment minister that Germany should introduce a speed limit on its autobahns.

The speed limit idea is "a secondary front and a trivialization of the climate problem," according to German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel.

The powerful German Automobile Industry Federation (VDA) said in a statement that Germany needed "no coaching" from Brussels on how to protect the climate "above all when the proposals are only symbolic."

Speed wastes energy

EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said Germany should impose speed limits on its highways as a way to cut carbon dioxide emissions. The German Transport Ministry has rejected the idea, saying it would have a negligible effect on greenhouse gas emissions.

"There are many areas in which we senselessly waste energy and harm the environment," Dimas said in an interview published in the Bild newspaper's Sunday edition.

He suggested speed limits as a good start. In Germany, some stretches of highway have speed limits but other sections allow drivers to go as fast as they like.

"Speed limits are useful for many reasons and are the order of the day in most of the EU's 27 member nations and the United States," Dimas said. "Strangely enough, it is only in Germany where they are controversial."

German Social Democratic Party leader Peter Struck warned against "climate hysteria" where climate change is allowed to become the only thing on the agenda. No one cares about preserving jobs, Struck said in a Bild interview Sunday.

But Dimas said Germany has a special responsibility towards curbing greenhouse gas emissions, which are widely believed to be responsible for global warming.

"A breakthrough will only be possible if the EU members take steps to ensure that climate protection measures are feasible and financially sustainable -- particularly Germany as an important industrial nation," he said.

Car industry concerned about image

The German car industry showed its clout last month, when the EU presented less strict CO2 emissions standards. Dimas had originally wanted tougher levels for cars sold in Europe but backed down after pressure from German automobile manufacturers, which said they would be unfairly targeted.

But German car makers are increasingly concerned about their image, a recent shake-up at their lobbying group has shown. Long-time president of the VDA, Bernd Gottschalk, resigned unexpectedly on Saturday.

Automakers were reportedly unhappy at how their lobby initially handled the EU climate debate. The industry felt the VDA reacted too slowly and not forcefully enough, according to Der Spiegel magazine.

There was also criticism that Gottschalk hadn't done a good job of explaining the what the auto industry has been doing up until now to help the environment. A replacement for Gottschalk has not yet been made.