On Wednesday 27 March in Strasbourg, the European Parliament adopted by an overwhelming majority (521 votes in favour, 63 against and 34 abstentions), the provisional Interinstitutional Agreement of December on the Regulation setting performance standards to reduce fleet-wide CO2 emissions for passenger cars and vans after 2021.
This legislation is part of the third Clean Mobility package, presented in November 2017, and it provides for a 37.5% reduction in fleet-wide emissions for cars and a 31% reduction for vans by 2030 compared to 2021 levels. Between 2025 and 2029, the reduction target will be 15% for both types of vehicles.
There is also provision for an incentives mechanism for the marketing of low-emission or zero-emission vehicles: the sale of 15% of clean vehicles in the fleet in 2025, and 35% in 2030, per manufacturer, will be rewarded by a reduction in the emissions reduction target. The derogation for niche manufacturers producing relatively few vehicles will apply until 2028. Measures to mitigate the social impacts of decarbonation will round off the scheme.
Miriam Dalli (S&D, Malta), rapporteur, welcomed “one more step to ensure that Europe will lead the world’s transition towards low and zero-carbon cars instead of importing new technologies”.
The EU Council is now in a position to formally adopt this Regulation. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)