New proposals by the...

New proposals by the European Parliament would force firms to set aside 20 per cent of advertising space for green statistics, warning of the car’s potential damage to the planet. This could include fuel consumption and CO2 figures.

British European Parliament member Chris Davies, who backs the plans, said: “The rationale is to try to get car makers to compete on environmental information about their vehicles, not purely on power, speed and appearance.” However, cigarette advertising has been almost entirely eliminated across Europe since it was forced to print the warnings, and vehicle marketeers are worried about the loss of business that could result.

Baroness Peta Buscombe, chief executive of the Adverч­tising Association, said: “The proposals are sure to disincentivise car manufacturers from adч­vertising.

“They will also have a damaging effect on the media that rely on it for revenue and will not, in our view, have much effect on consumer attitudes.” The European Parliament doesn’t have the power to put legislation in place, but can put pressure on the EU to do so. The plans are still some way off being implemented.