On Thursday, the European Parliament approved a relaxation of CO2 emission rules for new cars and trucks. With 458 votes in favor, 101 against and 14 abstentions, the lawmakers accepted the proposal of the European Commission. For the law to come into effect, it must now also be formally approved by the Council, which had already adopted the same text on Wednesday.
The so-called “fleet-wide limits” are part of the EU’s “Fit-for-55” package, which aims to redirect the EU from a path of more than four degrees Celsius of global warming to a path that could limit the climate change experts believe is possible at just over two degrees Celsius. The limits stipulate that all new vehicles currently registered in the EU are allowed to emit an average of 93.6 grams of CO2 per kilometer. This value will be gradually reduced and by 2035, it should fall to zero grams per kilometer.
The amendment approved by the EU Parliament gives manufacturers the opportunity to comply with their obligations for the years 2025, 2026 and 2027 by averaging their emissions performance over the entire three-year period, rather than evaluating each year individually. This allows for emissions overruns in one year to be balanced out by overachieving in the following years, thus avoiding penalties.
The limits remain unchanged, but criticism of the European Commission’s proposal still exists. As overachieving in other years can offset emissions limits, this means that overall less CO2 will be saved than initially planned.