Europe can't agree emissions targets

The European Commission's plans to introduce carbon dioxide emission targets by 2012 still aren't agreed.

In a policy debate on draft regulations for CO2 emissions, ministers broadly supported an initial target of 120g/km for manufacturers to hit, although support was split between imposing the regulation for 2012 or 2015. The 120g/km target is an average figure across their fleet.

In particular, Germany and France are at loggerheads as they try to protect the interests of their domestic car manufacturers.

German manufacturers BMW and Mercedes are concerned they'll be unable to hit the target, while French manufacturers Citroen and Peugeot are confident they will hit the target, and see the regulations as an opportunity to boost sales.

In addition, plans for a 95g/km average target by 2020 were discussed and broadly approved.