The European Parliament’s rapporteur on the review of CO2 standards for new cars and vans in the European Union, Jan Huitema (Renew Europe, Netherlands), published his draft report, on Monday 13 December, in which he suggests strengthening the targets set by the European Commission.
“The 2035 target as well as the increased intermediate targets should send a clear signal towards the market and provide investment certainty for manufacturers to develop zero-emission vehicles further, making them more consumer friendly and affordable over time”, the rapporteur says in the document.
While he retains the Commission’s proposal to ban the sale of new cars and vans with internal combustion engines by 2035 (see EUROPE 12762/3), Mr Huitema proposes new and stronger intermediate targets.
He thus wants to modify the current target for 2025, introduce a new target for 2027 and strengthen the proposed target for 2030.
For him, the EU’s newly registered car fleet should reduce its average emissions by 25% by 2025 compared to 2021 (currently 15%). He proposes a 20% discount for vans.
By 2027, these percentages would rise to 45 and 40% respectively, according to his draft report, and then to 75 and 70% starting 1 January 2030 (compared to 55 and 50% in the Commission’s proposal).
The draft report also asks the Commission to review the way in which emissions from plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are accounted for externally.
Mr Huitema claims that the utility factor used by the Commission - representing the proportion of distance travelled with the battery compared to the distance travelled with the combustion engine - should be based on real-world data, rather than an estimate, given that the Commission has been collecting actual fuel consumption data since 1 January 2021.
He wants the revised utility factor to apply from 2025 at the latest and to be reviewed to ensure that it remains representative of actual emissions.
The draft report also calls on the Commission to assess the need for possible measures to address the social impacts on households and workers of the transition to zero-emission vehicles as well as to consider a revision of the EU directive (2019/1161) on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles.
The draft report is expected to be presented to the Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) on 13 January 2022. The voting session is scheduled for 28 April, with a view to adoption in plenary in May.
The deadline for filing amendments is 25 January.
See the draft report: https://bit.ly/3EQRBqS (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)