The European Parliament and Council have reached an agreement on clean mobility targets to decrease greenhouse gas emissions in the EU.
Under the provisional new clean mobility targets, which cover cars and light vans in the EU and will come into effect in 2020, emissions from cars will have to be 37.5 per cent lower by 2030 in comparison to 2021; while van emissions will have to drop by 31 per cent in the same period. The agreement forms part of the EU’s clean mobility package, which is designed to move the EU towards full climate neutrality by the middle of the century.
The clean mobility package aims to reduce the impact of transport emissions across the EU, while remaining competitive on a greater global scale. The EU is working towards delivering the pledges made in the Paris climate agreement to address climate change and improving air quality across Member States. The clean mobility targets agreed on yesterday also fall in line with the priorities of the Juncker Commission, which works towards a “resilient Energy Union” and wide-ranging, progressive climate policies.
Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete said: “I thank the European Parliament and Council for their hard work resulting in an ambitious and balanced agreement. With this legislation in place, we are setting the right clean mobility targets and incentives to tackle emissions from the transport sector. The new legislation will make consumers save money at the pump. It will help our industry to embrace innovation towards zero-emission mobility and further strengthen its global leadership in clean vehicles. Today’s successful outcome is even more important in view of this weekend’s conclusions of the COP24 in Katowice. It clearly shows, once again, our unwavering commitment to the Paris Agreement, helps Member States to meet their 2030 targets, and contributes to putting us on the right path towards a climate neutral European economy by 2050.”
The regulations laying out clean mobility targets will now have to be formally approved by both the European Parliament and the Council, after which they will enter into force.
