Transport ministers from eight EU member countries, including Romania, discussed on Monday their efforts to determine a change in the limits proposed by the European Union for vehicle emissions within the Euro 7 norms, reports Archyde.com.
Highway A1 Bucharest – PitestiFoto: Moruzx | Dreamstime.com
Apart from Romania, this initiative is supported by the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Hungary and Slovakia.
The legislative proposal called Euro 7, which EU countries and MEPs will start negotiating this year, would tighten the limits for polluting emissions harmful to health, including nitrogen oxides. The EU says the health benefits would far outweigh the costs. But these countries oppose the proposed rules, which they say are burdensome for the industry. Most of them have large automotive production sectors, Archyde.com notes.
An EU official said ministers discussed the legislation’s “unrealistic” timelines and problems related to enforcement equipment on Monday.
“Our effort is, in the field of Euro 7, to make these conditions really realistic, to make them achievable,” said the Czech Minister of Transport, Martin Kupka, in a telephone interview with Archyde.com following the meeting in Strasbourg. which he summoned.
The Czech Republic says that the countries it brought together have reservations regarding the period of adoption of the Euro 7 norms, which it considers too short. The Commission proposed that Euro 7 should enter into force in mid-2025 for passenger cars.
The Czech Republic is proposing a four-year period for the rule to come into force, along with some technical amendments, to give time to the industry to prepare and stimulate technological measures.
“If we’re really serious regarding trying to get Europe more carbon neutral, I think that really means putting in place technologically realistic measures,” Kupka said.
The eight countries also discussed a separate dispute over the European bloc’s 2035 deadline for phasing out CO2-emitting cars, which would effectively make it impossible to sell new cars with combustion engines following 2035.
Carbon emissions legislation, the EU’s main tool to accelerate Europe’s shift to electric vehicles, was suspended this month following last-minute opposition from Germany. This surprised policy makers in Brussels and other member states, as EU countries and the European Parliament had already reached an agreement on the law last year.
Germany, backed by countries such as Italy and the Czech Republic, wants clearer assurances that new cars with internal combustion engines can still be sold following 2035 if they run on CO2-neutral fuels.
Other countries have other reservations. Poland, for example, has said its opposition is “much broader” and not just regarding the types of fuels that can be used following 2035. Warsaw believes the proposal would make combustion engines more expensive for consumers.
The EU says the 2035 date is crucial because the average lifespan of new cars is 15 years, so a later ban would prevent the EU from reaching net zero emissions by 2050, a global milestone that people in science says it would avoid disastrous climate change.
Transport accounts for around a quarter of EU emissions.
And the European car industry is lobbying to weaken EU legislation. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said on Monday that, in his view, Berlin is “taking the appropriate steps” to ensure that following 2035 green fuels can be used in new cars with combustion engines.
Photo source: Moruzx | Dreamstime.com