At the Environment Council in Luxembourg on Tuesday 9 October, there was the will to reach a general approach aimed at reducing CO² emissions from new cars and vans after 2021. However, discussions were far from over. At the time of going to press, a second round-the-table debate was to begin after closed-door bilateral talks and attempts at reaching a compromise since the morning’s debate.
The target of a 30% reduction by 2030, advocated by the least ambitious countries, was however abandoned. Efforts to reach a compromise by the Luxembourg secretary of state, Claude Turmes, targeted 35% or more. Some delegations (Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Finland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Portugal, Italy and Slovenia) were still in favour of 40%. "France is undergoing considerable pressure from Germany", Turmes told the press before discussions resumed.
The first round-the-table discussion had confirmed the gap between the delegations in favour of reducing emissions by 40% or more (Scandinavian countries, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia, United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium) and the countries – Slovakia, Czech Republic and to some extent Romania – for which 30% is a maximum. Poland and Germany wished to keep to the Commission’s position. Spain was in favour of 35% or more.
Romania, Slovakia and Poland had together called for measures to avoid the flow of old, polluting cars exported by high income countries towards Central Europe. Poland also called for a coefficient to compensate the motor industry for the marketing of low or zero emission vehicles in the less wealthy countries. "This is the only way we will be able to support the general approach", the minister had said.
"We have been working very hard. We are still far from an agreement. I call upon your constructive collaboration to find a balanced compromise", the president-in-office of the Council, Elisabeth Köstinger, had said at the start of the debate.
The compromise on the table provided for a 35% reduction target by 2030 (mid-way between the 30% proposed by the Commission and the 45% proposed by the European Parliament committee on the environment), a mechanism encouraging low or zero emission vehicles (bonus/malus), as well as recognition of the importance of low emission vehicles, especially rechargeable hybrid vehicles, for the transition towards private cars with zero emissions, during determination of bonuses.
Germany had pointed out that it supported the Commission’s proposal to reach climate targets while protecting the motor industry and the jobs within the industry. It had urged for electro-mobility that is affordable for citizens.
Sweden, which spoke of the IPCC report, had said that the Council should be as ambitious as the Parliament, that an emissions reduction target of 40% was the minimum and would make it possible to make the motor industry far more competitive.
Portugal, which aims at carbon neutrality by 2050, had called for Europe to be a leader in this field. Finland had said that the ambitious targets for 2025 and 2030 were a matter of credibility and an opportunity for investment and jobs.
The French minister had argued for the EU to give a direction to industry. The Czech minister had warned against the economic and social consequences on the motor industry in his country (9% of GDP) of over-ambitious targets and electro-mobility reserved for the wealthiest. He had also stressed that electro-mobility reduces greenhouse gas emissions only if the energy is clean. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)