2023-12-18 22:10:14
Since the debates about diesel driving bans, the Euro emissions standards negotiated at EU level have been known to almost every driver. With the new rules, it’s no longer just what comes out of the exhaust that counts.
Brussels.
Cars, buses and other vehicles in the EU should in future produce fewer substances that are harmful to the environment and health. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU states agreed on the new Euro 7 pollutant standard in Brussels on Monday, as both sides announced. This means that limits for brake and tire wear will also be introduced for the first time.
Don’t just focus on emissions anymore
The new rules are intended to regulate pollutants caused by vehicles more strictly than before. What is new is that substances harmful to health such as fine dust, which can be caused by tire wear or braking, will also be regulated in the future. This means that the regulations also apply to electric cars and hydrogen vehicles. According to parliament, minimum requirements for the lifespan of the batteries of electric and hybrid vehicles should also be introduced.
In addition, every vehicle should come with an environmental passport that contains information about, for example, fuel and electricity consumption or the lifespan of the battery, according to Parliament’s communication. Drivers should receive up-to-date information about this via the systems in the car.
Old rules apply to car emissions
Until now, exhaust gases have been the focus of the Euro standards. Euro 6 previously regulated nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), particles, hydrocarbons and methane as well as ammonia for trucks and buses. Euro 7 stipulates stricter rules for exhaust emissions – but according to reports only for buses and trucks. The states and parliament agreed to retain the currently applicable Euro 6 values for cars and small vans. In addition, according to Parliament, the Euro 6 test conditions should continue to apply to all types of vehicles.
EU Commission proposal on exhaust gases weakened
The revision of the limit values is based on a proposal from the EU Commission last year, which, however, was significantly weakened by parliament and the federal states with a view to exhaust emissions from cars. The rules proposed by the Brussels authority had not met with widespread approval from either the European Parliament or the EU countries.
Among other things, the rules for cars should come into force in 2025 and for trucks and buses in 2027. In some cases, the proposals even went too far for the Environment Ministry, led by Green Party politician Steffi Lemke; in particular, the proposed introduction deadlines were too short for her. However, Germany had pushed for stricter limits for air pollutants in the negotiations, but was overruled by a majority of the other EU states.
CDU MEP Jens Gieseke, transport policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU group and negotiator for the Christian Democratic EPP group, said the rules would achieve better air quality. “At the same time, we are also preventing a disproportionate burden on industry, which already has to cope with the switch to electromobility.” The balancing act between health protection and maintaining competitiveness was successful.
Green MP Michael Bloss described the negotiation result as a missed opportunity. “If the EU and Germany want to continue to set the gold standards for industry worldwide, we need forward-looking rules that promote the further development of the industry.” Otherwise the standards would soon be set in other regions of the world.
The German auto industry said the new standard would help further reduce emissions from road traffic. Although some of the requirements are very ambitious, “our industry is determined to implement all requirements,” said the President of the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), Hildegard Müller. The Euro 7 decision meaningfully combines the improvement of air quality and feasibility for industry.
How it goes on
The EU states and the European Parliament still have to formally approve the agreement. According to Parliament, the rules will apply to cars and vans 30 months after they come into force and to buses and trucks 48 months after this date.
According to studies by the European Environment Agency and the so-called Joint Research Center, road traffic was responsible for 39 percent of harmful NOx emissions (nitrogen oxides) in 2018 – 47 percent in cities – and 11 percent of total PM10 emissions (fine dust). According to the EU Commission, in 2018 more than 70,000 deaths in the EU were due to long-term exposure to fine dust and nitrogen oxide-related air pollution from road traffic. (dpa)
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