Amendment: Regulation 2019/63 CO2 emissions performance standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles

Last updated: 11 February 2022

The current legislation on CO2 emission performance standards for new cars and light commercial vehicles,  Regulation (EU) 2019/631, sets targets for the EU fleet-wide average CO2 emissions. Average CO2 emissions from new passenger cars and vans registered in the EU will have to be 37.5 % lower in 2030, compared to the limits in 2021 (95g CO2/km). For new vans, the reduction target is 31 % by 2030 (compared to 147 g CO2/km in 2021). A dedicated incentive mechanism aims to accelerate the market uptake of zero- and low-emission vehicles.

The proposal amends Regulation (EU) 2019/631 to set more ambitious standards for reducing the CO2 emissions of new cars and vans. Compared to the CO2 emission targets applicable in 2021, the emissions of new passenger cars registered in the EU would have to be 55 % lower, and the emissions of new vans would have to be 50 % lower. By 2035 of new passenger cars and vans CO2 emissions would have to be reduced by 100 %, i.e. all new vehicles would have zero emissions. The incentive for zero and low-emission vehicles would stop to apply from 2030.

From 2030, only manufacturers responsible for less than 1 000 new vehicle registrations would be able to apply for a derogation from the specific emissions target. The derogation for manufacturers responsible for between 1 000 and 10 000 cars or between 1 000 and 22 000 vans will end in 2029.

The Commission would have to report on the progress towards zero-emission road mobility by 31 December 2025 and every two years thereafter. Based on the reporting, the Commission would have to review the effectiveness and impact of the Regulation in 2028.

The annexes of the regulation would be amended with a view to adjusting the formulae for calculating the EU fleet-wide targets for 2030 and setting the formulae for 2035 as well as the annual specific emission targets for each manufacturer.

The Commission prepared an inception impact assessment (roadmap) for the update of the CO2 emission performance standards, on which a public consultation was held from 13 November 2020 to 5 February 2021.

In the European Parliament, the proposal has been referred to the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). Jan Huitema (Renew, Netherlands) was appointed as rapporteur. He presented his draft report on 8 December 2021. It calls for stricter CO2 emission reduction targets for cars (-25 % by 2025; -45 % by 2027; -75 % by 2030) and vans (-20 % by 2025; -40 % by 2027; -70 % by 2030), deletion of the zero and low-emission vehicle benchmark from 2025 and a gradual decrease of the cap on the emission reductions that can be rewarded for eco-innovations.

In the Council, environment ministers held a first exchange on the Fit for 55 package at an informal meeting on 20 July 2021. The Council Working Party on the Environment discussed the proposal three times in 2021, and the Environment Council discussed it on 3 December 2021.

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