By 38 votes to 23 and 7 abstentions, MEPs on the European Parliament’s environment committee have strongly strengthened the draft regulation to reduce emissions from the European fleet of new private cars and vans post-2021 in the interests of the climate, industry’s competitiveness and European innovation in the service of clean mobility.
The MEPs recommend reducing emissions by 20% by 2025 for cars and vans and by 45% by 2030 on the 2021 level, along with zero emissions by 2040. This is far more ambitious than the initial proposal (30% by 2030 and 15% in 2025).
They also called for a 20% share of low or zero emissions vehicles from 1 January 2025 onwards, and 40% from 2030, which is not foreseen in the Commission’s proposal.
Malta’s Miriam Dalli (S&D), rapporteur on this subject, welcomed the result, that she described as "pragmatic" and which will "allow a balance between the different interests: not only the environment and climate, but also citizens’ health and workers’ jobs". She said it was important for the legislation to be implemented and be able to lead to investment in Europe.
This u-turn results from a necessary compromise (see EUROPE 12088). For 2030, some are calling for minus 20%, others for minus 75% and if we want to meet our climate objectives, we will have to be ambitious, on the scale of effective legislation that does not water down the Commission’s proposal, she told reporters, adding that the result she aspires to is to be a pioneer in the fight against climate change and if the EU doesn’t take the lead, she said others will overtake it.
In terms of the credits system for encouraging the sale of clean vehicles, the MEPs approved a no claims discount system with a bonus of 5% and a more flexible approach for claims, which would start at 2% and reach 5% after 2030 for manufacturers not reaching their required share of the market for electric cars in their total sales. The rapporteur said they thought this was the best way to encourage zero emissions vehicles while giving industry time to adapt.
A compromise voted through covers analysis of a product’s lifecycle. The European Commission is asked to establish a methodology for analysing emissions in the production of fuel and energy an also in the manufacture of vehicles and spare parts, which would make it possible to grant an award for the cleanest ethnology.
MEPs also voted through an amendment on a fair social transition to help overcome two obstacles: jobs and infrastructure for recharging vehicles.
They called for emissions to be measured in real driving conditions according to the WLTP test procedure to avoid having to rely on stated measurements and also to fill gaps that car manufacturers have been tempted to use to cheat in the tests.
NGOs are delighted, ACEA is alarmed. The vote has been particularly hailed by NGOs and the Greens. NGO T&E has welcomed this step in the direction of a more rapid transition to electric cars while warning that one is far from what is required by the Paris Climate Agreement. On the same lines, French MEP Karima Delli, who chairs the transport committee, said everyone knows that action is needed to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreements while restricting global warming to 2°C by the end of the century and we have to speed up the transition to zero emission vehicles using radical measures.
European manufacturers, on the other hand, are alarmed. "The extremely stringent reduction levels adopted are totally unrealistic, as they would require a massive and sudden shift to electromobility. The framework conditions for such a seismic shift are clearly not in place and consumers are just not ready to go fully electric at this stage", said ACEA Secretary General Erik Jonnaert in a press release. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)