ECR MEP Mark Demesmaeker has been elected as vice-chair of the special inquiry committee to investigate failure to oversee emissions tests.

ECR MEP Mark Demesmaeker has been elected as vice-chair of the special inquiry committee to investigate failure to oversee emissions tests. ‘I have been in favor of an inquiry for a long time. Concerning this case, the European Parliament has an important monitoring and research task to fulfill. This committee has to deliver full clarity about what went wrong with the application of European emission standards for cars and should also provide solutions for the future. We have to focus on transparency and public health,’ says Demesmaeker.

The special committee consists of 45 MEPs. Demesmaeker was nominated by his ECR Group in order to dig down into the issue. ‘Dieselgate not only violated the trust of consumers, it also put a bomb under the trustworthiness of the European environmental policy. Strict environmental standards are merely paper tigers if they are not fully deployed in a robust and rigorous way. I’m looking forward to fully engage me for better air quality and public health for all European citizens.’

The first meeting of the committee will be held on March 22. The MEPs have to deliver a final report in a year. Demesmaeker: ‘Hopefully all the groups will give their full support to deliver clear results by putting the interests of the people first. Otherwise this might become a lost year.’