EU Curbs Some of its Emissions Regulation Ambition

For environmentalists looking to the EU to implement new regulations governing automotive emissions, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that new laws are in the works which will govern the emissions of cars and trucks across Europe. The bad news? They won’t be quite as far-reaching as initially planned.

That’s the big takeaway from a new Reuters article (via Autoblog). At issue are the Euro 7 recommendations that the European Commission passed last summer. As an announcement at the time declared, that proposal “replaces and simplifies previously separate emission rules for cars and vans (Euro 6) and lorries and buses (Euro VI)” and recommended regulations of emissions, including nitrous oxide.

The scope of that regulation won’t be as wide-ranging as what the European Commission proposed, however. As Reuters reports, some of their recommendations — specifically, those related to emissions from cars — will be enacted as planned. The regulations governing nitrous oxide for trucks will be less stringent, however.

These regulations are also set to go into effect later than expected relative to the original goal of 2025.

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There have been unexpected repercussions

As Reuters reported, one of the voices expressing frustration with the final legislation was Dutch politician (and Tool fan) Bas Eickhout, a member of the European Parliament. “The ‘new’ EU standards have been watered down to such an extent that they hardly differ from existing rules,” he posted on social media. “So it’s actually greenwashing. That’s why I’m voting against tomorrow.”

What remains to be seen is what precedent this might set for other regions’ carbon regulation — and what additional legislation the EU may enact to vehicular emissions.