The EU ministers for competitiveness reached, on Monday 25 September, a qualified majority in favour of a common EU Council position on the EURO 7 regulation. It sets new standards for internal combustion vehicles, following on from ‘EURO 6’. Several delegations have complained that the position adopted by the EU Council ahead of the negotiations with the European Parliament does not go much further than the EURO 6 regulation.
The Member States were divided on the level of ambition of the text, such as the maximum emission limits or the deadlines for its entry into force. The Spanish Presidency of the EU Council was finally able to bring together a majority around a compromise.
A number of delegations, including Germany, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, described an ambition diluted by standards that, in their view, do not make it possible to meet the EU’s environmental objectives. On the other hand, a majority described the Spanish Presidency’s text as “balanced”.
Text details
In practice, the EU27 have decided to keep the same maximum exhaust gas thresholds for light vehicles (under 3.5 tonnes) as for the EURO 6 standard. Only heavy vehicles will see their emission limits reduced slightly.
On the conditions for testing these emissions, the compromise also refers to the EURO 6 standards, for both light and heavier vehicles.
In a spirit of compromise, however, the Spanish Presidency proposed retaining the requirement for vehicles to have an on-board monitoring system, despite requests from some delegations to remove this new constraint.
The balance struck in the text also involves a longer application period for the EURO 7 standard. Instead of the 1 July 2025 proposed by the European Commission, the EU Council suggests that the regulation should only apply 30 to 48 months after its entry into force, depending on the type of vehicle. In other words, the new standards should not apply until at least 2026.
Synthetic fuels have not been included in the text, as requested by Germany. On the other hand, if the Commission were to introduce a new proposal affecting this type of fuel, the ‘EURO 7’ regulation would have to be amended to take synthetic fuels into account.
Reception
This compromise on ‘EURO 7’ satisfies a good number of delegations, starting with France. “We are in favour of the fact that, since we have decided to move away from combustion engines, it is not necessarily essential to add more regulation to them” Roland Lescure, the French Minister Delegate for Industry, told Europe.
The Czech Minister for Industry and Trade, Josef Síkela, also welcomed a “good compromise” ahead of the meeting. “We are aware of the importance of European industry, not only for the European and Czech economy - over 20% of total exports - so we have to be aware of the impact”, he explained to EUROPE.
According to the automobile industry, the EU Council has limited the damage. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, ACEA, notes an improvement on the Commission's proposal. ACEA Director General Sigrid de Vries warned, however, that the ‘EURO 7’ standard, even in this form, would entail “enormous additional costs for the industry”.
The opposing camp regrets the absence of stricter criteria for internal combustion vehicles that will be marketed until 2035. “A car has a lifespan of around twelve years. So cars sold in 2035 will still be polluting for a long time to come. EURO 7 was our last chance to act, and we missed it”, deplored Danish Minister for Industry, Morten Bødskov.
The German MEP, Michael Bloss (Greens/EFA), agreed: “The text must be improved as a matter of urgency during negotiations between the EU Council and Parliament”, he said.
To see the general approach: https://aeur.eu/f/8qo (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)