Planned Euro 7 Standard at Euro 6 Level: Unambitious into the Future

With an unambitious plan for the Euro 7 standard, the negotiations of the EU Commission with the member states in the so-called Council of Ministers have come to an end. The German position for stricter regulation could not prevail. Already criticized by environmental organizations as too lax, the Commission's plans will now see virtually no change to the current status quo after the countries' vote. For cars and vans, the requirements are to remain at the level of the current Euro 6e standard. For trucks and buses, Euro VI will continue to apply. The testing regulations will also remain the same. Only additional regulations for brake and tire wear, which would also apply to electric vehicles, would be included. The automotive industry had argued that the EU Commission's plans were too far-reaching and that no new requirements were needed since the end of the combustion engine has been decided for 2035, making further optimization investments pointless. Otherwise, billions would be lacking for investments in e-mobility, the argument continued. In the Council, concerns about overburdening the industry prevailed.  

Thus, the Spanish Council Presidency had to move towards the countries that had threatened to block, including France, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Their voting weight could have jeopardized the majority in the Council. Now, the Council and the EU Commission must agree with the EU Parliament, which is itself divided on the issue. Currently, the law is stuck at the committee level. In any case, the plans are not likely to become law before 2027.

The German representative of the responsible Ministry of Economic Affairs under Robert Habeck (Green Party), State Secretary Sven Giegold (Green Party), criticized, "The test conditions and limit values for all vehicle classes are unambitious and more or less at the Euro 6 level again."

"Therefore, the level of ambition is below the current state of technology," Giegold complained.

German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Green Party) also found that the "multiple-weakened draft in many requirements for air pollutants does not go beyond the previous regulations." Germany had "rejected the plan for good reasons." During the negotiations, the Commission's originally ambitious proposal was significantly weakened, Lemke said.