PARIS, Jan 8 (Reuters) -

French automaker Renault is committed to complying

with tighter EU rules on CO2 emissions this year, it said, but

believes automakers pooling their emissions could weaken the

European car industry.

The EU significantly lowered its cap on automotive carbon

dioxide emissions from Jan. 1, meaning at least one-fifth of all

sales by most car companies must be EVs to avoid heavy fines.

Companies with lower electric vehicle sales can "pool" their

emissions with segment leaders, however purchasing emissions

credits from other manufacturers to lower their overall averages

and save them hundreds of millions of euros in penalties.

EU filings on Tuesday showed companies including Stellantis ( STLA )

, Mercedes and Toyota ( TM ) are planning

to buy carbon credits from producers including Tesla

and Polestar.

Renault said it was too early to say if it would also

pool emissions, but added the move would be damaging to the

sector. It has been urging Brussels to ease the regulations

instead.

"Without a clear position from the European Commission, the

manufacturers are forced to take counterproductive decisions

such as purchasing credits from competitors, potential

production cuts, etc. This leads to the weakening of the

European industry," the company said in a statement to Reuters.

It added it is urgently calling for more clarity on the

matter.