The ambition of the European-funded project MODALES is to substantially reduce air pollution from all types of on-road vehicles by encouraging adoption of low-emission driving behaviour and proper maintenance choice. Thanks to the work conducted by project member Spark, this ERTICO-led project has just published research on cross-border vehicle tampering.
What is the role of Spark in MODALES?
“Spark Legal Network is dedicated to providing Europe-wide legal consultancy services on a wide range of European Union law issues. We specialise in cross-border legal research and analysis, for which we are usually supported by a network of national legal experts. Spark’s network covers all EU and EFTA Member States, and is made up of eminent experts from both academia and legal practice (professors, senior lecturers, PhD candidates from leading research institutes and specialised lawyers). For MODALES, so far, we have carried out legal (desk) research in 14 Member States regarding the situation on vehicle tampering at national level and analysed the data. This research considered laws and regulations in place, as well as the effectiveness of such legislation.We will also develop best practices and recommendations from a legal perspective at a later stage in the project.”
How can these results push forward MODALES’ work? Can you share with us any results?
“In addition to the legal (desk) research, we also conducted a survey on vehicle tampering which was sent out to more than 300 stakeholders including manufacturers, type approval authorities, technical services, parties involved in tests and inspections and those involved in national strategies and initiatives in the field of vehicle tampering. The questions posed to these stakeholders were customised based on the type of stakeholder participating in the survey. The survey was a great way to complement the data gathered through the legal (desk) research, since it provided us with more practical insights on how legislation is implemented, enforced and/or perceived at national level, and whether there are any developments or changes foreseen in this regard. It also allowed us to collect data in countries not initially covered by the research. The results of our work so far is already available and can be read here.”
How do you think MODALES can contribute to making mobility cleaner?
“From our perspective, so far the MODALES project has provided us with a great opportunity to learn from our partners and their significant technical expertise. Hopefully, our research and the comparative analysis on the legal situation on tampering in the different Member States can contribute to their work, as well as feed into recommendations and allow for countries and stakeholders to learn from each other’s (best) practices in finding ways from a legal perspective to make mobility cleaner.”
