Euro 7 Standard To Be Watered Down To Lower Costs For Automakers

The automotive industry has been actively lobbying against the very strict pollution reductions that were supposed to be introduced with the Euro 7 emissions standards in the middle of this decade. It seems that this process will result in the European Commission probably watering down significantly the upcoming regulations thus ensuring the automakers won’t have to make huge investments. 

Politico has obtained a copy of the European Commission's Euro 7 legislation, which says “a final review has been made” on the new rules based on “the current geopolitical and economic circumstances.” In general, it sounds like the Commission wants to reduce the pressure in the industry, which could theoretically lead to “affordability issues for consumers in an overall context of high inflation.”

The Euro 7 standards were supposed to level the emissions standards of all cars and vans with those currently in place for gasoline-powered cars under the Euro 6 standard in Europe. Under the reviewed regulations, the European Union wants to minimize the research and development costs of the automakers for creating new cleaner engines given the proposed 2035 internal combustion engine sales ban. Or, simply put, the EU sees no need to ask the companies to invest billions of dollars in new combustion engines that will be just slightly greener than the existing ones and will remain on sale for just a few years.

Naturally, this new turn of events quickly got mixed reactions from different associations and businesses. While the automotive industry believes new investments “will be drawing resources we should be spending on electrification,” the NGO Transport & Environment thinks the EC’s proposed review of the regulations means “carmakers’ profits are being prioritized over the health of millions of Europeans."

The final version of the new rules is expected to be published on November 9. The Euro 7 standards have been delayed multiple times already and were supposed to be published on October 28. The stricter emissions standards on the European continent are expected to go into effect in 2025 or 2026.