CO₂ standards for 2025 needed – Parliament report

‘The instrument of CO₂ standards for new vehicles in a fleet has proven its worth,’ the report of the Parliament’s policy unit says. ‘Common consensus is that these standards must be ambitious in order to meet the climate policy objectives. In addition emission limits must be defined in 2025 and 2030 and shall not be put up for renegotiation in the meantime.’

In the run-up to the European Commission’s communication on reducing transport’s climate impact in June, MEPs have been told decarbonisation is required and that while ‘biofuels are limited resources, electrification of transport is inevitable’. Electric mobility, which includes public transport and bicycles as well as cars, is ‘a double fundamental innovation with great potential for the transport as well as the electricity sector’.

Ultra-low-emissions zone for metropolitan areas, like in Paris and Helsinki, are also encouraged, with vehicles being limited to about 35g of CO₂ per km from 2025 onwards.

To help tackle truck emissions, road usage fees should be weighted according to distance travelled, vehicle weight, air pollution, noise emissions and other factors. The policy document also calls for electronic recording systems for road charges, but notes a lack of courage and political will to reform how transport infrastructure is financed.