EU Parliament pushes 40% reduction to new car emissions by 2030

emissions
Members of the European Parliament are looking for a 35 per cent market share for electric and low-emission cars by 2030.  AP Images/European Union-EP photo.

Members of the European Parliament are looking for a 35 per cent market share for electric and low-emission cars by 2030.  AP Images/European Union-EP photo.

MEPs set targets for cars, vans

In a draft law voted on Wednesday, Members of the European Parliament agreed to set a higher target for reducing EU fleet-wide new car emissions by 2030 of 40 per cent, compared to the EU Commission’s 30 per cent by 2021.

MEPs also set an intermediate target of 20 per cent by 2025.  Similar targets were agreed upon for new vans.

Manufacturers whose average CO2 emissions exceed these targets will pay a fine to the EU budget, to be used for up-skilling workers affected by changes in the automotive sector, MEPs agreed.

“This legislation goes beyond reducing harmful emissions and protecting the environment,” said Miriam Dalli, MEP from Malta.  She added “it looks at setting the right incentives for manufacturers; it encourages investment in the infrastructure; it proposes a just transition for workers”.

Carmakers will also have to ensure that zero- and low- emission vehicles, electric cars or vehicles which emit less than 50g CO2/km, have a 35 per cent market share of sales of new cars and vans by 2030, and 20 per cent by 2025.

Parliament also called on the EU Commission to table, within two years, plans for a real-world CO2 emissions test using a portable device, like that recently introduced for NOx.

Until then, CO2 emissions must be measured based on data from the cars’ fuel consumption meters. The real-driving emissions test must be up and running from 2023, say MEPs.

MEPs acknowledge that a socially acceptable and just transition towards zero-emission mobility requires changes throughout the automotive value chain, with possible negative social impacts.

Parliamentarians argue that the EU should therefore promote skill development and reallocation of workers in the sector, particularly in regions and communities most affected by the transition. MEPs also call for support for European battery manufacturing.

By the end of 2019, the EU Commission will have to propose legislation to provide consumers with accurate and comparable information on the fuel consumption, CO2 and pollutant emissions of new cars. And from 2025, carmakers will have to report the lifecycle of CO2 emissions of new cars put on the market, using a common methodology.

The report was adopted with 389 votes to 239 and 41 abstentions. EU ministers will adopt their common position on 9 October and negotiations with MEPs for a first reading agreement would then start on 10 October.

 

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