The EU Council adopted legislation to reduce CO2 emissions from passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.
The EU Council confirmed the vote in the European Parliament that took place on 27 March. The adopted legislation provides for a 31% reduction in CO2 emissions from light commercial vehicles by 2030. In the intermediate phase, by 2025, a reduction of 15% is planned, both for delivery vans and passenger cars.
Emissions from passenger cars will have to be reduced by 37.5% by 2030.
The adoption of legislation setting new CO2 emission standards for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles is an important achievement. We are putting the transport sector on the right track towards clean mobility, helping EU industry to modernise and strengthen its competitive position in the international arena,” said Miguel Canete, EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, in response to the decisions of the EU Council.
The new rules will enter into force 20 days after their publication in the EU Official Journal.
Stricter limits
The legislation approved by the EU Council is stricter than originally planned. At the beginning of October 2018, most EU countries demanded a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions from passenger cars. Germany, on the other hand, only wanted a 30% reduction.
According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), in 2017 the average new passenger car sold in the EU emitted 118.5 g CO2/km, 0.4% more than in the previous year.
Photo: Pixabay