THEItaly, Together with Czech Republic, took the initiative to urge a early review of the European standards on CO2 emissions for cars that include the stop petrol and diesel engines in 2035. The proposal, formalised in a unofficial document (non-paper), collected the support from five other countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
The request, which aims to move the deadline from 2026 to 2025, “cutting” of the rules currently in force, will be presented to the EU Competitiveness Council on 28 November in Brussels, where Italian Minister Adolfo Urso will lead the discussion.
THEthe objective is twofold: ensure greater sustainability for the European automotive industries and propose a long-term strategy that safeguards employment and technological innovation.
Urso: “Change European industrial policy now”
Minister Urso, at the end of a face-to-face meeting with the metalworkers' unions, firmly expressed the need to review the rules: "We have a war bulletin ahead of us, with closures and the abandonment of projects. It is it is essential to change European industrial policy to make it sustainable in the face of global competition."
Urso stressed the importance of adopt a vision of “technology neutrality” that does not limit itself to promoting exclusively electric and hydrogen vehicles, but that includes other technologies, such as combustion engines powered by sustainable fuels: "It is absolutely necessary to review methods and timing also through a full vision of technological neutrality, we expect the other European countries to converge in this direction because I think that there is now awareness in Europe that we need to intervene immediately to change the rules and achieve full sustainability, the competitiveness of the European car industry which today is seriously compromised".
Review of car regulations, the request of the seven countries to the EU
The seven signatories of the document have put forward some requests precise:
- Emissions standards revised early to 2025: to assess the progress of the objectives and adapt the measures to real market conditions.
- Technological neutrality: promote an approach that valorises a wider range of solutions, such as alternative fuels, avoiding excessive dependence on specific technologies.
- Multi-year investment plan: create a stable fund to support the automotive sector in the ecological transition.
- Structured dialogue: establish a forum between the automotive industry, the European Commission and the Member States to define a shared strategy.
In the document, the seven signatory countries warn that the targets set for 2025 could “lead to fines for car manufacturers that are unable to meet these stringent requirements” penalized by the slowdown in the spread of electric vehicles. They ask the European Commission to “bring forward to 2025 the review of the rules”, currently scheduled for 2026, and to review the emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles, set for 2027.
Thermal stops until 2035: what the Fit for 55 plan provides
The European Green Deal aims to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The main stages include:
- 2025: Reduction of average emissions from new cars by 19%, up to 93,6 g/km of CO2.
- 2030: 55% cut in emissions from current levels.
- 2035: Stop the sale of petrol and diesel cars, with exceptions for e-fuel vehicles and small producers.
The ban on the sale of thermal cars in 2035 provides for some exceptions. Vehicles powered by e-fuels, synthetic fuels from renewable sources, will be excluded from the ban. In addition, the small producers will have concessions: those who produce less than a thousand cars a year will be exempt, while those who build between a thousand and ten thousand will have until 2036 to comply: a measure that benefits brands such as Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini.
Achieving these goals represents a major challenge for producers, who risk heavy fines for failure to comply with the rules.
The risk of sanctions: a huge economic burden
Current regulations provide for fines of 95 euros for each gram of CO2 over the limits, multiplied by the number of vehicles sold. For large groups, this could translate into billions of euros in fines, with heavy repercussions on car prices and employment in the sector.
“We risk fines of 15 billion euros if the rules are not respected,” is the warning of Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault and president of ACEA.
Electric cars, a market that is not taking off
Despite efforts to promote electric vehicles, the Sales in Europe are struggling to take off and the transition is struggling to take off with demand lower than expected. In the EU, electric vehicles cover only 12,6% of the market, while in Italy they represent less than 4% of sales.
