Car emissions – Image by Ralf Kunze on Pixabay
(STRASBOURG) – The European Parliament gave its support Wednesday to revised CO2 emissions standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, part of the EU’s ‘Fit for 55 in 2030’ package.
In the plenary vote, MEPs adopted their position on proposed rules to revise the CO2 emissions performance standards for new cars and vans with 339 votes in favour, 249 against and 24 abstentions.
“With these standards, we are creating clarity for the car industry and can stimulate innovation and investments for car manufacturers,” said Rapporteur Jan Huitema MEP: “In addition, purchasing and driving zero-emission cars will become cheaper for consumers. I am thrilled that the European Parliament has backed an ambitious revision of the targets for 2030 and supported a 100% target for 2035, which is crucial to reach climate neutrality by 2050.”
With the adopted text, MEPs support the Commission proposal to reach zero-emission road mobility by 2035 (an EU fleet-wide target to reduce the emissions produced by new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles by 100% compared to 2021). Intermediate emissions reduction targets for 2030 would be set at 55% for cars and 50% for vans.
Details of Parliament’s proposed measures include:
- removing the incentive mechanism for zero- and low-emission vehicles (‘ZLEV’), as it no longer serves its original purpose;
- a report by the Commission on the progress towards zero-emission road mobility by the end of 2025 and on a yearly basis thereafter, covering the impact on consumers and employment, the level of renewable energy use as well as information on the market for second-hand vehicles;
- gradually reducing the cap for eco-innovation, in line with the proposed stricter targets (the existing 7g CO2/km limit should remain until 2024, followed by 5g from 2025, 4g from 2027 and 2g until the end of 2034);
- a report by the Commission, by the end of 2023, detailing the need for targeted funding to ensure a just transition in the automotive sector, to mitigate negative employment and other economic impacts;
- a common EU methodology by the Commission, by 2023, for assessing the full life cycle of CO2 emissions of cars and vans placed on the EU market, as well as for the fuels and energy consumed by these vehicles.
Further information, European Parliament
