The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Luxembourg are calling on the EU to set an end date for the registration of new trucks and buses with combustion engines. The background to the push is that the EU Commission intends to propose stricter CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles in February.
According to the four countries, the Commission’s proposal should set a zero-emission target for heavy-duty vehicles. They do not give a target date, but refer to the EU goal of climate neutrality by 2050. “The upcoming revision of the CO2 standards for HDVs (heavy duty vehicles) provides a unique opportunity to send a strong signal to the market and incentivise a timely transition,” the countries say in a joint statement.
The Quartet is also calling for stricter interim CO2 emission targets for new trucks and buses by 2030 and an extension of CO2 limits to additional road freight vehicles. The Commission’s proposal, scheduled for next month, would replace the EU’s current requirement that manufacturers ensure a 30 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to 2019/2020 levels.
The background to the initiative is that the transport sector is responsible for almost a quarter of EU emissions and, contrary to all other sectors, has not seen CO2 emissions fall over the past three decades. This puts at risk the EU’s overarching goal of reducing net emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. For passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, the EU bodies had already decided upon the end of new cars with combustion engines from 2035.
Read More: Four EU nations call for combustion bus & truck phase out – electrive.com
