EP FORMALLY APPROVES REVISED CO2 STANDARDS FOR CARS AND VANS
On 14 February, the European Parliament in Plenary session formally approved the agreement reached in trilogues over the revision of the CO2 standards for light-duty vehicles, by 340 votes in favour, 279 against and 21 abstentions.
For reference, the deal agreed among the Parliament and the Council in October 2022 sets the path towards zero CO2 emissions for new light commercial vehicles in 2035, with an intermediate reduction target for 2030 set up at 50% for vans. The regulatory incentive mechanism will be kept for zero- and low-emission vehicles (ZLEV) until 2030. The mechanism will reward manufacturers with less strict CO2 targets if they meet the benchmark of 17% of sales of zero-emission vans until 2030.
The text includes a review clause to achieve the progress made towards achieving the 100% emission reduction targets and the need to review these targets taking into account technological developments. The Commission has also been mandated to develop a common EU methodology, by 2025, for assessing the full life cycle of CO2 emissions of cars and vans placed on the EU market, as well as for the fuels and energy consumed by these vehicles.
Following the final vote in Plenary, the text will now have to be formally endorsed by Council, too, before being published in the EU Official Journal shortly after.
Source: European Parliament