Brussels, 20/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - The revision of CO2 emissions from road transport is one of the major focuses of the European strategy for low-emissions mobility, which was presented on Wednesday 20 July by the College of Commissioners (see other articles in this bulletin).
This strategy, which is based around the efficiency of the transport system, vehicles using alternative fuels and emitting zero carbon, will require stricter emissions standards to be set in place for 2030 for light vehicles and heavy goods vehicles.
At the moment, the strategy focuses mainly on private cars and light utility vehicles, for which it plans to present new emissions standards in 2017, in line with the announcement made by the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete (EUROPE 11535). A public consultation was launched on the subject on Wednesday.
These new standards will apply from 2021 forecasts and from 2020 for vans. They also aim to restore consumer confidence in emissions testing after the scandal of the mechanism used to invalidate the NOx emissions of diesel cars made by Volkswagen.
Under the climate/energy package up to 2020, the upper limits for emissions of CO2 from private cars have been laid down at 130 g/km in 2015 and 95 g/km in 2021. For vans, the aim is 175 g/km in 2017 and 147 g/km by 2020. The Commission is also working on a proposal on the control and monitoring of CO2 emissions from heavy goods vehicles.
The European strategy for low-carbon mobility also aims to reduce emissions from international air and maritime transport in the framework of ICAO and the IMO. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)