The European Parliament approved the relaxation of anti-pollution technology

With 329 votes in favor, 230 against and 41 abstentions, the European Parliament approved the proposal for relaxation of the application process of the new Euro 7 anti-pollution technology. The initial proposal submitted by the Commission provided for a strict limitation of pollutants from modern vehicles with an internal combustion engine, which had provoked a strong reaction from the lobby of the European car industry. The proposal of the European Parliament will form the basis of negotiations with the governments of the EU member states until the end of 2023.

The proposal provides Euro 7 to enter into force on 1 July 2030 for passenger cars and vans, and on 1 July 2031 for buses and trucks (instead of 2025 and 2027 as proposed by the Commission. The reduction concerns emissions from vehicle exhausts as well as microparticles caused by brake friction and tire wear. The second package of measures also concerns purely electric vehicles.

“The choice would be either a bike or a used car”

“The Commission’s original proposal was very bad. If implemented, the car industry would stop making small cars with internal combustion engines, as their production would be unprofitable. Then low-income citizens would have only two options: either the bicycle or used cheap cars, which would, however, burden the environment,” said the MEP and author of the European Parliament’s proposal, Alexander Vodra. “If we approved the Euro 7 proposal of the Commission, car manufacturers would be obliged to make large investments for vehicles with an internal combustion engine. And inevitably their prices would skyrocket. It makes no sense to invest so much in technologies that from 2035 will be outlawed. Manufacturers would take the risk of investing in products that they would then struggle to sell.”

The reaction of the Association of Automobile Manufacturers

“ACEA calls on policymakers to ensure that realism prevails during the tripartite negotiations and not let the Euro 7 standard derail the progress already achieved by manufacturers,” the European Automobile Manufacturers Association said in a statement. (ACEA).

“We recognize that the European Parliament voted in favor of a more realistic approach to Euro 7 in relation to the Commission’s proposal. However, Euro 7 comes at a heavy price at a critical time for the transformation of the industry.”