In its briefing published on Tuesday 5 November, the NGO network Transport & Environment (T&E) recommends that EU Member States incorporate social leasing into their national Social Climate Fund Plans. It advises them to finance these plans with national revenues from the new Emissions Trading System (‘ETS2’) (see EUROPE 13495/26).
This scheme allows people to benefit from a vehicle without having to buy it, paying monthly rental amounts instead. With electric vehicles expected to reach price parity with combustion vehicles by 2028, T&E believes that “targeted measures are needed to address the barrier from higher EV prices”. T&E argues that “social leasing is an ideal measure to support the low and medium income drivers who will be most affected by the likely increase in fuel price linked to the ETS2”.
The NGO network recommends that national plans should prioritise low and middle income, car-dependent households, and that eligible models should be “compact, affordable and have low environmental impact, with a preference for models made in Europe”. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)