EU Parliament delays vote on car pollution limits

The European Parliament delayed on Thursday a vote to block new car pollution testing rules for being too lax amid opposition from the body's two biggest groups, who said they were concerned the objection could postpone stricter rules even longer.

Members of the European People's Party and the Socialists and Democrats supported pushing back the vote until next month after the proposed rules were rejected by the assembly's environment committee last month.

With political momentum behind tougher restriction after the Volkswagen scandal, Parliament was to vote next week on rejection of a compromise agreed by EU country experts in October that would allow cars to carry on spewing more than twice official limits on nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.