9 November 2023
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the new Euro 7 standard for emissions from cars, vans, buses and lorries.
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the new Euro 7 standard for emissions from cars, vans, buses and lorries. In the debate on Wednesday, ECR rapporteur Alexandr Vondra said it was important that the rules required by Euro 7 remained realistic and technologically feasible. The majority of parliamentarians have therefore amended the Commission’s draft in some areas. “We support the Commission’s objective of producing cleaner cars and improving air quality, but we must also proceed with the necessary care and caution. There are serious questions about the feasibility of the standards recommended by the Commission, especially given the short lead times”, Vondra said.
He continued: “The cost implications of the Commission text were also a major concern, as they would have exceeded the estimates in the proposal’s impact assessment. This in turn would have led to higher costs for consumers who are already facing the challenge of rising living costs.
“It was therefore essential to revise the Commission’s proposal and strike a better balance between its environmental objectives and the concerns of consumers and manufacturers.
“Overall, the new test parameters are not a revolution, as proposed by the Commission, but an evolution of the Euro 6 methodology, ensuring that the report’s emission standards remain economically and technologically feasible.”
The text has been adopted with 329 in favour, 230 against and 41 abstentions.
Note to the editor: A press conference with Alexandr Vondra will be held today at 13:30 in the Anna Politkovskaya press room, SPAAK 0A50.
The press conference can be followed live via Parliament’s webstreaming and EbS+.
Journalists wishing to actively participate and ask questions remotely can connect via Interactio by using this link: https://ep.interactio.eu/66e2-hy1p-1w4u.