CO2 emission standards for cars and vans

2021/0197(COD)

The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted the report by Jan HUITEMA (Renew, NL) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2019/631 as regards strengthening the CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles in line with the Union’s increased climate ambition.

The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:

2035 zero-emission road mobility

Members backed the Commission's proposal to achieve zero-emission road mobility by 2035. Under the proposal, emissions from new passenger cars registered in the EU by 2030 should be 55% lower and emissions from new vans should be 50% lower. By 2035, CO2 emissions from new cars and vans should be reduced by 100%, meaning that all new vehicles would have zero emissions.

Members backed the proposed targets for 2030 and 2035 but increased the emissions reduction target for 2025 from 15% to 20%.

Targeted funding for the just transition

By 31 December 2023, the Commission should present a report detailing the need for targeted funding to ensure a just transition in the automotive sector, with the aim of mitigating the negative employment and other economic impacts in all Member States concerned, in particular in the regions and communities most affected by the transition.

The report would be accompanied, if appropriate, by a legislative proposal to establish an EU funding instrument to address this need.

The proposed measures also include:

- the abolition of the incentive mechanism for zero and low emission vehicles ('ZLEV') after 2025;

- the gradual reduction of the total contribution of eco-innovations to a manufacturer's average specific CO2 emissions reduction (the existing limit of 7g CO2/km should remain unchanged until 2024, before falling to 5g in 2025, 4g in 2027 and 2g by the end of 2034);

- Commission proposals by 31 December 2023 for minimum ecodesign requirements for all new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles;

- a common European methodology to be proposed by the Commission, by 2023, for assessing the full life cycle emissions of cars and vans placed on the EU market, as well as for the fuels and energy consumed by these vehicles;

- a Commission report on progress towards zero-emission road mobility by the end of 2025 - to be reviewed annually thereafter - addressing the impact on consumers and employment, the share of renewables, and information on the used car market;

- additional measures to support the demand for zero-emission passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles in the Union market, including through incentivising private companies with a certain fleet size to transition to zero-emission mobility;

- harmonising type-approval rules for vehicles with internal combustion engines converted to battery or fuel cell electric vehicles to allow for series approval.