Strasbourg, 13 March 2024
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Road vehicles to stay cleaner for longer, improving air quality
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Lower exhaust emissions limits for buses and trucks
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New measures to limit particle emissions from tyres and brakes and to increase battery durability
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Environmental Vehicle Passport to contain information on environmental performance
On Wednesday, MEPs gave their green light to new EU rules to reduce emissions from passenger cars, vans, buses, trucks and trailers.
With 297 votes in favour, 190 against and 37 abstentions, Parliament adopted the deal reached with the Council on the Euro 7 regulation (type-approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles). Vehicles will need to comply with the new standards for longer, ensuring they remain cleaner throughout their lifetime.
Reducing emissions, increasing battery durability
For passenger cars and vans, the current Euro 6 test conditions and exhaust emissions limits will be maintained. For buses and trucks, stricter limits will be applied for exhaust emissions measured in laboratories and in real driving conditions, while maintaining the current Euro VI testing conditions.
For the first time, EU standards will include brake particles emissions limits (PM10) for cars and vans and minimum performance requirements for battery durability in electric and hybrid cars.
Better information to consumers
An Environmental Vehicle Passport will be made available for each vehicle and contain information on its environmental performance at the moment of registration (such as pollutant emission limits, CO2 emissions, fuel and electric energy consumption, electric range, battery durability). Vehicle users will also have access to up-to-date information about fuel consumption, battery health, pollutant emissions and other relevant information generated by on-board systems and monitors.
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Rapporteur Alexandr Vondra (ECR, CZ) said:
“We have successfully struck a balance between environmental goals and the vital interests of manufacturers. We want to ensure the affordability of new smaller cars with internal combustion engines for domestic customers and at the same time enable the automotive industry to prepare for the expected transformation of the sector. The EU will now also be addressing emissions from brakes and tyres and ensuring higher battery durability.”
Next steps
The EU Council needs to formally approve the agreement as well before it can enter into force.
Background
On 10 November 2022, the Commission proposed more stringent air pollutant emissions standards for combustion-engine vehicles, regardless of the fuel used. The current emission limits apply to cars and vans (Euro 6) and to buses, trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles (Euro VI).
In adopting this report, Parliament is responding to citizens’ expectations to promote the purchase of electric vehicles complying with good battery life standards, to advance the deployment of digital and electrical infrastructure, and to reduce EU’s energy dependency from foreign actors, as expressed in proposals 4(3), 4(6), 18(2) and 31(3) of the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Further information
ECR Group: New Euro 7 emission standards are a significant milestone for the automotive sector and industry
ECR Rapporteur Alexandr Vondra has described the new Euro 7 emissions standards as a “significant milestone for the automotive sector and industry, which has long been a cornerstone of innovation and economic prosperity in the EU.”
A majority in Parliament mainly made up of ECR, EPP and Renew MEPs managed to defuse the Commission’s original draft, which would have meant the de facto end of the internal combustion engine, during the committee phase and trialogue negotiations. “Our main concern is the potential impact on both the industry and consumers”, said Vondra during today’s plenary debate. “The Commission’s originally proposed changes would have significantly increased the manufacturing costs for small engine cars, which are essential for rural communities. Higher prices that would remove these car models from the market and trigger a chain reaction discouraging consumers from buying cars. Indeed, this could have lead consumers to opt for second-hand vehicles instead of electric cars, thereby reducing investment in electrification.”
Instead, the already very stringent Euro 6 emissions standards will now be maintained, while new standards will be introduced for pollutant emissions from buses and lorries, as well as for brake and tyre and standards for the minimum lifetime of electric vehicle batteries. The tightening of testing requirements has also been dropped, avoiding costly and disproportionate measures that would burden the automotive sector.
Vondra considers the agreement to be a fair compromise that skilfully balances environmental objectives and manufacturers’ interests, thus protecting the European automotive industry and the well-being of citizens.
“It was crucial to strike a balance between environmental, social and industrial interests,” said Vondra. “I believe that the institutional agreement we have reached is a triumph of common sense over environmental ideology.”
The file was adopted with 297 votes in favour, 190 against and 37 abstentions.
ACEA: Euro 7 deal passes major hurdle, strengthening Europe’s position as world leader in emission standards
Brussels, 13 March 2024 – Today’s Euro 7 European Parliament vote cements Europe’s place as the global pacesetter for emission standards for cars, vans, trucks, and buses.
“Today’s Euro 7 vote has put the focus where it matters most – on future-oriented challenges such as vehicle brake emissions for cars and vans and electric vehicle battery requirements,” stated Sigrid de Vries, Director General of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
“But make no mistake: Euro 7 still tightens exhaust emissions and test procedures. In particular, truck and bus manufacturers will face significantly more stringent rules, as they already face an uphill climb to meet rapidly approaching 2030 decarbonisation targets in the absence of vital enabling conditions.”
The world-leading emission standards come at a critical moment as Europe’s vehicle industry shifts away from the combustion engine to electric powertrains. It also faces tougher competition from China and the US, increased costs of doing business in Europe, and a patchwork regulatory framework that inevitably undermines Europe’s competitiveness.
It is important to recall the substantial progress to date, with vehicle emissions slashed by 90% between the first Euro standard and the first version of Euro 6. There is much that vehicle manufacturers and policy makers can collectively be proud of until now. But to truly realise what Euro 7 sets out to achieve, policy makers must do more to replace older, more polluting vehicles on roads with newer models equipped with the most advanced emission technology. This is not only about incentives to boost market uptake of newer vehicles, but also establishing a holistic regulatory framework that keeps mobility affordable for all Europeans.
Decision makers will still need to decide on key elements through secondary legislation, and several important inconsistencies in the text still need to be corrected in an appropriate way. ACEA will continue working to ensure a realistic and proportionate Euro 7 that balances environmental concerns and competitiveness.