EU Parliament: Environment Committee also votes in favor of relaxing CO₂ regulations
Image: BMW (illustrative)
At the beginning of November, the Environment Committee of the European Parliament voted in favor of relaxing CO₂ regulations for new cars. It supported the proposal with 48 votes in favor, 30 against, and two abstentions. Earlier in October, the Industry Committee had voted 49 to 27 in favor of easing existing rules, while the Transport Committee voted 27 to 18 in the same direction.
Instead of the previously planned full CO₂ reduction starting in 2035, emissions from new passenger cars are set to drop by 95 percent compared to 2021 levels. Through credits for steel produced with low emissions, the required reduction target for manufacturers could be reduced to 87.5 percent. The original Commission proposal called for a 90 percent reduction with additional offset options.
The committee also wants to include vehicles that run solely on specific renewable or low-CO₂ fuels. Such internal combustion engines could be considered emission-free under defined conditions. The specific requirements have not yet been finalized.
Additional incentives are planned for small electric cars produced in the EU. Battery-only vehicles with a length of up to 4.20 meters should be counted with a factor of 1.4 in CO₂ fleet calculations. Particularly efficient electric cars made in the EU that meet certain power consumption limits could be considered using a factor of 1.2.
Requirements for light commercial vehicles are also set to decrease. The committee proposes lowering the CO₂ reduction target for 2030 from 50 percent to 35 percent. For 2035, only 80 percent reduction is required instead of a complete elimination.
The changes are not yet valid EU law. The European Parliament is expected to vote on its position in December 2026. After that, an agreement with the member states in the EU Council is required. Until then, the existing 100 percent CO₂ reduction target by 2035 remains in place.
The European automobile industry association ACEA welcomes the planned additional flexibility and greater emphasis on renewable fuels as well as CO₂-light materials. However, it believes the proposed relief measures for passenger cars are still insufficient in terms of scope and duration to address the industry’s needs. Therefore, the association calls on the EU Council to take into account the actual market conditions and the competitiveness of the European automotive industry more closely in the subsequent legislative process.
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Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with professional experience in the automotive industry and finance sector. Since 2011, he has been covering electric cars, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions on ecomento.de. Learn more.
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