EU Green Deal to tune up car CO2 rules

(EurActiv, 11 Dec 2019) The European Commission will revise car CO2 standards and move towards zero-emission vehicles in the 2030s, according to the EU’s new Green Deal, unveiled on Wednesday (11 December). Every other mode of transport can expect attention over the next five years too.

Under the Commission’s new environmental pact, the EU executive will revise car and van standards by 2021 “to ensure a clear pathway from 2025 towards zero-emission mobility”.

It will also propose stricter air pollutant benchmarks for internal combustion engines and there will be an impact assessment on whether to include road transport in the bloc-wide emissions trading system (ETS).

New car CO2 rules were only brokered last December, when negotiators decided to endorse a 37.5% reduction target for 2030. For vans, the target was set at 31%. The talks were marked by bitter infighting between MEPs and unconvinced member states.

After 2021, new cars will have to emit less than 95g of CO2 under the current rules but it is unclear at this stage what will be changed in the review, although EU officials say that the figure will have to drop to zero in the 2030s.

A review was planned for 2023 anyway, before intermediary milestones in 2025 kick in, but the Commission’s new tack could change the timeline quite significantly.

There is no mention in the Green Deal communication of any changes to CO2 standards on trucks though, which were only finalised in February.  A review is planned for 2022.

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EurActiv, 11 Dec 2019: EU Green Deal to tune up car CO2 rules