Euro 7 decision by the EU Parliament: Worse than useless - or a realistic approach?

After the decision of the EU Parliament on the diluted Euro 7 limits, which was adopted with a clear majority, the interpretations of the result vary widely. The proposal must now be negotiated in the trilogue procedure, but the Council of States tends to want even less strict regulations. The environmental umbrella organization T&E suggested soberly that EU legislators should rename the draft car emissions law to "Euro 6 F" to avoid extensive pollution from dirty cars. The EU Parliament has backed a so-called "Euro 7" standard, which does not significantly improve protection against air pollution compared to the previous Euro 6 standard. The limit value for nitrogen oxides (NOx) for petrol cars would remain the same as Euro 6, and the tests crucial for compliance with the limits would hardly be improved. Car manufacturers typically use the Euro standard for air pollution to market their vehicles to consumers as "clean," while regulators often rely on the standards to decide which vehicles can have free access to environmental zones and pay lower vehicle taxes.

"The Euro 7 standard adopted today is more than useless. Car companies will use it to greenwash cars that are hardly cleaner than today. The last pollution standard that the engines must meet is a dead letter. Legislators should have the decency to rename it to Euro 6F or withdraw it," appealed Anna Krajinska, Vehicle Emissions and Air Quality Manager at T&E.

The members of parliament voted today for a Euro 7 law that incorporates the following changes compared to the original proposal:

• Weakening of limits for trucks, so that the NOx limits are approximately doubled
• Weakening of limits for light commercial vehicles, so that the NOx limits are reduced by 30%
• Weakening of test conditions for passenger cars, including acceleration, temperature, and altitude, back to Euro 6 requirements
• The introduction of Euro 7 is significantly delayed, meaning cars must comply with the limits only three years after the adoption of all associated regulations. For trucks, the regulations apply no earlier than 2030.

The NGO refers to the reports of major European newspapers on the automotive industry's campaign to weaken the original Euro 7 plans, which would have prevented 35,000 premature deaths. The EU Parliament will now enter trilogue negotiations with the EU Council and the Commission to finalize the law. The EU Council supports an even weaker version of Euro 7. The NGO stated that the EU Commission should use its authority to withdraw the legislation if legislators do not rename the law during the negotiations. The damage caused by greenwashing dirty cars would outweigh any minor progress in Euro 7, according to the harsh judgment. The Green EU parliamentarian Michael Bloss shares a similar opinion.

"The Euro 7 position is a lobbying paper. A fossil alliance of conservatives, right-wingers, and liberals has turned the emission standard into a loser law. Lax standards have never been an advantage for European production. If Europe fails, then China sets the standards, and that is the worst outcome for the automotive location Europe," criticizes Bloss, climate policy spokesperson for the Greens in the EP.

With the softened law, a blow is dealt to the European automotive supplier industry, as they must fear that their production will be replaced by cheap products. Instead of recognizing the signs of the times and focusing on high-tech, outdated technology continues to be built. Europe has the best engineers and the brightest minds. Strength must be demonstrated by setting the best standards worldwide. This is the only way to secure the future of the European industrial location. Research by the Guardian also shows that the EU Commission has been outmaneuvered by lobbyists.

"The billions in costs that society incurs from higher air pollution and illnesses will ultimately be paid by all of us, with our health and higher health insurance contributions," fears Bloss.