New EU standard must reduce vehicle pollution to lowest level feasible, say cities and civil society

(Transport and Environment, 15 Jun 2022) Euro 7 is the last chance to slash toxic air pollution from engines, cities and NGOs have told the EU Commission in a letter.

Despite the proposed phase out of internal combustion engine cars in 2035 and the uptake of electric cars, a new Euro 7 standard is still relevant. That’s the message of civil society groups and cities – including Pars, London and Brussels – to six members of the European Commission today. In a letter they call on the commissioners to propose a standard that reduces pollution to the lowest levels that are technically feasible and closes all loopholes left behind from the Dieselgate era.

T&E forecasts that 95 million more combustion engine cars will be sold in Europe between 2025 and 2035, when Euro 7 is expected to enter into force while the take-up of zero emission trucks will take time. On average, these vehicles will remain on the road for more than a decade and much longer in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, often in excess of 15 years. This means there is at least another quarter of a century of polluting vehicles on the EU’s roads.

A new Euro 7/VII standard is Europe’s last chance to slash toxic pollution from engines and it cannot be missed, the letter says. An ambitious Euro 7 could reduce total EU NOx emissions by 4.2 million tonnes by 2050 and avoid 35,000 premature deaths. Crucially large reductions in pollution are both technically and economically feasible. The Commission’s proposal must be a comprehensive revision of the outdated Euro 6/VI standard, reducing pollution to the lowest technically feasible levels and closing all loopholes left behind from the Dieselgate era.

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Transport and Environment, 15 Jun 2022: New EU standard must reduce vehicle pollution to lowest level feasible, say cities and civil society