On Monday 15 June, the Council of the EU made public a progress report on the revision of the regulation on CO2 emissions from passenger cars and vans (see EUROPE 13880/18).
The proposal aims to relax the emission-reduction targets by lowering the target set for 2035 from 100% to 90%, and that planned for 2030 from 50% to 40%. It also provides for greater flexibility for manufacturers in meeting these targets.
According to the progress report, these targets remain one of the main points of disagreement between the Member States, divided between maintaining climate ambition and preserving the competitiveness of Europe’s automotive industry.
Two measures closely linked to the Industrial Accelerator Act (see EUROPE 13889/13) are also giving rise to divergences.
The first concerns the ‘super-credits’ granted until 2034 for small electric cars ‘made in the EU’.
Although this provision enjoys broad support, Germany remains firmly opposed to it. German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder made his position perfectly clear during a public debate at a ‘Transport’ Council in Luxembourg on 8 June: “No to super-credits for small electric vehicles”.
The second measure concerns the credits planned from 2035 for the use of sustainable renewable fuels and low-carbon steel ‘made in the EU’. Several delegations are questioning their environmental added value or even the very notion of ‘made in the EU’.
The Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) will examine this report on Wednesday 17 June, ahead of the ‘Environment’ Council on 25 June.
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/mdo (Original version in French by Juliette Verdes)