On Thursday 12 October, MEPs on the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) approved by 52 votes to 32, with one abstention, their negotiating position on the recast of the European Euro 7 environmental standard for motor vehicle emissions. 11 of the 12 compromise amendments were adopted.
The proposal presented by the Commission in November 2022 (see EUROPE 13061/14) aimed to standardise emissions from light and heavy vehicles, replacing the Euro 6 and Euro VI standards respectively. The proposal targets all technologies and fuels and adds regulations for particulate emissions from brakes, tyres and ammonia for cars. In addition, stricter emission limits are being considered for cars and vans, with a focus on battery durability.
Although they adopted the emission levels for pollutants proposed by the Commission for cars, MEPs suggested a segmentation into three categories for light commercial vehicles based on their weight. Above all, the implementation of the Euro 7 standards was postponed with the adoption (46 votes in favour, 29 against) of compromise amendment 4 (known as the “big package”) - central to the text tabled by Alexandr Vondra (ECR, Czech) and approved by the ECR, EPP, ID and Renew Europe groups - moving from 2025 and 2027 to 2030 for cars and 2031 for heavy vehicles.
When presenting his report (see EUROPE 13210/14), Alexandr Vondra justified the extra time by explaining that the automotive industry needed time to adapt. He also stressed that the Commission’s proposal was unrealistic, pointing out that situations vary from one Member State to another.
Following the vote, shadow rapporteur Christel Schaldemose (S&D, Danish) expressed her disappointment, suggesting that the changes would only lead to “substantial improvements in air quality”.
For its part, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers issued a statement calling for more ambitious Euro 7 regulations, warning that Europe could lag behind other major powers such as China and the United States.
However, more conservative voices hailed the position adopted as “more realistic”. Jens Gieseke (EPP, German) insisted on the balance between protecting the environment and maintaining industrial competitiveness. Mr Vondra stressed the importance of this balance, insisting that the proposal avoids unrealistic technological requirements and preserves consumers’ financial capacity.
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) stressed in a press release that the vote better reflected the concerns of the industry. However, it emphasised the need to continue to seek improvements to ensure the industry’s competitiveness.
The text will be submitted to the European Parliament plenary session on 9 November.
Compromise amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/917 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)