AVERE slams EU Council CO2 position

Electromobility trade association AVERE has slammed a key European Union Council position on future CO2 emissions in cars. AVERE says the stance agreed this week by EU environment ministers “falls short in providing the e-mobility sector with right signals to support the e-mobility transition”. The Council has suggested that cars should put out 35% less CO2 by 2030 compared to 2020 – but just last week MEPs called for a 40% cut. This means that EU states have chosen “to support and prop up old business m
October 12, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Electromobility trade association AVERE has slammed a key 1816 European Union Council position on future CO2 emissions in cars.

AVERE says the stance agreed this week by EU environment ministers “falls short in providing the e-mobility sector with right signals to support the e-mobility transition”.

The Council has suggested that cars should put out 35% less CO2 by 2030 compared to 2020 – but just last week MEPs called for a 40% cut.

This means that EU states have chosen “to support and prop up old business models rather than back a clean and electrified future”, the organisation thunders.

The news comes at a time when authorities’ responses to the challenge of carbon emissions are in the spotlight: this week the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that limiting global warming to 1.5ºC “would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society”.

“Within the context of the recent IPCC report which shows that we are not on the right track to reaching our climate goals, it was very unfortunate that ministers were unable to match the same ambition as voted through in the European Parliament a couple of weeks ago,” AVERE continues.

AVERE secretary general Philippe Vangeel says: “The agreement reached in the European Council is unfortunate and shows that some key member states are still not fully committed to enabling the electrification of transport develop within Europe.”

He criticised the “lack of ambition”, adding that it would only allow the EU’s competitors “to take the lead in the transition to electrification”.

Vangeel added that there was still time to improve matters, as discussions between the European Parliament and the 1690 European Commission were ongoing.

“We urge the Council, Parliament, and Commission to increase the ambition in order to safeguard the future growth of the sector,” he concludes.

Last month, MEPS urged member states to improve efforts to develop Europe’s alternative fuels infrastructure, including electrification.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Survey: Majority of UK public remains worried about global warming
    August 4, 2015
    A new survey of over 2,000 members of the public by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and ICM Unlimited has found that 57 per cent of the public are worried about global warming, with 14 per cent saying they were ‘very worried’. The poll found that 64 per cent of people think global warming is already a problem now, while 70 per cent said they think global warming will be a problem in 20 years’ time. The main issues the respondents said they were worried about were flooding and sea level rises (63
    Read More
  • ITS European Congress: safer and cleaner mobility
    August 6, 2019
    Smart mobility and the increasing digitalisation of transport were among the main themes of this year’s ITS European Congress in the Netherlands. Ben Spencer picks some highlights from conference sessions which considered possible future developments Navigating between the Evoluon conference centre - a former science museum that resembles a giant-sized UFO - and an automotive campus, there was a lot to see at the 13th ITS European Congress in Brainport, Eindhoven. Organised by Ertico – ITS Europe and th
    Read More
  • C-ITS in Europe: It’s the governance, stupid!
    March 3, 2023
    Cooperative ITS (C-ITS) is coming – in fact, it’s already here. But who has responsibility for making it work? Richard Lax of Kapsch TrafficCom thinks there are lessons to be learned from the European experience
    Read More
  • Does enforcement merit a place in the EU's ITS action Plan?
    February 3, 2012
    Colin Wilson, IBI Group, looks at the implications for enforcement of the European Commission's new Action Plan for the Deployment of ITS in Europe
    Read More

Highlighted Content