Countries European Union agreed today on a common approach to reducing CO2 emissions heavy vehicles such as buses and trucks up to 90% in 2040, and now capitals are waiting European Parliament determine your position regarding negotiations on the final provisions.
The position agreed by Member States retains the general features of the original proposal submitted European Commission last March, with average emissions cuts of 45% for new vehicles in 2030, an increase from 30% under current rules, followed by 65% in 2035 and 90% in 2040.
“Citizens deserve to live in a greener, healthier environment, and we are now one step closer to this goal. At the same time, we ensure the competitiveness of the industry, clearing the way for new investments,” Teresa Ribera, Spain’s third vice president and acting Minister of Ecological Transition, said in a statement.
Twenty-seven member countries, according to their common position, which has yet to be agreed upon European Chamber In their final version, they introduce some flexibility in the implementation of the regulation, such as exceptions for small manufacturers, vehicles used in mining, forestry and agriculture.
They also propose to give special treatment to vehicles used in the armed forces, fire services, civil defence, public order, medical care and professional vehicles such as garbage trucks.
Among the changes included in the Community Executive’s proposal, member states changed the definition of “heavy zero-emission vehicle” but retained hydrogen vehicles, and proposed a new category including extra-heavy combination trucks to better take its characteristics into account. the Council clarified.
City buses
One of the most contentious issues during the debates in the Council of Ministers of the Environment of the twenty-seven countries was the question of intercity buses.
The Twenty-Seven approach sets a zero-emission target for 100% of the fleet of this type of vehicle in 2035 and an interim target of 85% in 2030, which is in line with the position advocated by France, which argues that many municipalities that have just upgraded the vehicle fleet and invested in other forms of CO2 reduction.
The Council agreed to exclude intercity buses from this task and a number of review provisions were added, such as consideration of national investments already made and possible restrictions due to territorial morphology or specific weather conditions in Member States.
The capitals want the European Commission to review the regulation in 2027, a year earlier than the community chief executive proposed, and also review the evolution of charging infrastructure.
As part of this review, the Commission will also have to estimate the so-called “carbon adjustment factor”, which means how to calculate what percentage of a vehicle’s mixture is made up of synthetic fuel and carbon-neutral biofuel, subtracting the result from CO2 emissions calculated for new diesel trucks and buses.
The measure, which has been criticized by environmental groups such as Transport and Environment, had countries such as France and Germany in favor, as well as states such as Poland and the Czech Republic, which along with Slovakia abstained from the final vote.