The European Parliament adopted by 341 votes to 268, with 14 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1242 as regards strengthening the CO₂ emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles and integrating reporting obligations, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2018/956.
The position adopted by the European Parliament at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure is as follows:
Objective
The Regulation as amended sets CO₂emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles. These standards will contribute to the achievement of the Union's climate neutrality objective and the intermediate Union climate targets as set out in the European Climate Act, the Member States' targets for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions as set out in Regulation (EU) 2023/857 of the European Parliament and of the Council and the objectives of the Paris Agreement, as well as ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market.
Definitions
The amended text modifies the definition of ‘zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle’ by specifying that it is a heavy-duty motor vehicle without an internal combustion engine or equipped with an internal combustion engine whose emissions are less than or equal to 3g of CO₂/(tkm) or 1g of CO₂/(pkm). In addition, it adds a subgroup of vehicles to include extra-heavy combination lorry (EHCs).
CO2 emissions reduction targets
CO2 emissions from large trucks (including vocational vehicles, such as garbage trucks, tippers or concrete mixers) and buses should be reduced by 15 % for the report periods of the years 2025 to 2029; 45 % for 2030 to 2034; 65 % for 2035 to 2039; 90 % for 2040 onwards.
Emissions reduction targets are also set for trailers (7.5%) and semi-trailers (10%), starting from 2040.
Member States should also be entitled to exempt heavy-duty vehicles from the obligation to meet the CO2 emissions reduction targets set in this Regulation where those heavy-duty vehicles are not specifically designed, but are registered, for use by civil protection services, fire services, forces responsible for maintaining the public order or urgent medical care services, such as normal coaches used for the transport of police or armed services, by confirming that such exemption would be in the public interest. Member States should also be entitled to exempt vehicles registered for the armed services from this Regulation in its entirety.
Urban buses
For urban buses, manufacturers should comply with minimum shares of 90% and 100% of zero-emission heavy commercial vehicles in their fleets of new heavy commercial vehicles from 2040.
Contracting authorities and contracting entities should base the award of public supply contracts for the purchase, lease, rent or hire-purchase of new zero-emission urban buses, as well as of public service contracts having as their main subject matter the use of such urban buses, on the most economically advantageous tender which should include the best price-quality ratio.
Review
By 31 December 2027, the Commission should review the effectiveness and impact of this Regulation, in particular as regards the objective of climate neutrality at the latest by 2050, and submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council with the results of that review.
In that report, the Commission should particularly assess:
- the number of registrations of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles in Member States;
- the progress in the deployment of public and private alternative fuels recharging and refuelling infrastructure for heavy-duty vehicles covered by this Regulation;
- the impact on employment, especially on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the effectiveness of measures to support retraining and upskilling of the workforce, and the importance of an economically viable and socially fair transition towards zero-emission road mobility;
- whether the continuation of the exemption for manufacturers producing few vehicles is still justified;
- the impact of establishing minimum energy-efficiency thresholds for new zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles placed on the Union market;
- the role of a carbon correction factor in the transition towards zero-emission mobility in the heavy-duty vehicles sector;
- the role of a methodology for registering heavy-duty vehicles running exclusively on CO2 neutral fuels, in conformity with Union law and with the Union climate-neutrality objective;
- whether the creation of new vehicle sub-groups for EHC lorries has led to an undue increase in engine rated power;
- the possibility of developing a common Union methodology for the assessment, and the consistent data reporting, of the full lifecycle CO2 emissions of new heavy-duty vehicles that are placed on the Union market.
The Commission should by 31 December 2025 present a report to the European Parliament and to the Council with a comprehensive analysis of the need to further incentivise the uptake of advanced biofuels and biogas and renewable fuels of non-biological origin in the heavy-duty vehicles sector and the appropriate framework of measures, including financial incentives, to achieve that deployment. Based on that analysis, the Commission should, where appropriate, make additional legislative proposals or should make recommendations to the Member States.