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

  • Europe’s heavy trucks ‘no more fuel-efficient than ten years ago’
    December 4, 2015
    A study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) claims that trucks in the European Union are no more fuel-efficient than they were a decade ago. The study, which analyses data from the European commercial trucking market, looking at key member states, manufacturers and fuel consumption trend, found that heavy-duty vehicles represent only four per cent of the on-road fleet in the European Union, but are responsible for 30 per cent of on-road CO2 emissions. In contrast, the study cla
    Read More
  • 90,000 e-truck charge points needed, says Scania boss
    April 28, 2020
    European auto group calls for massive increase in charging points for electric trucks.
    Read More
  • Call for Juncker to reverse decision to drop serious road injury target
    June 10, 2015
    More than 40 European organisations concerned with road safety, together with 11 members of the European Parliament have sent a letter to President Jean-Claude Juncker urging him to not drop setting new EU target to cut serious road injuries. The letter was sent yesterday by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), ahead of Thursday's meeting of national transport ministers in Luxembourg where the target was set to be announced. The European Transport Safety Council has learnt that the announcemen
    Read More
  • Europe’s road safety record suffers as austerity bites hard, say traffic police chiefs
    March 7, 2018
    Europe’s leading traffic police chiefs are struggling with the challenge of how best to manage the region’s road network in an era of austerity. Things are changing fast, and not for the better, reports Geoff Hadwick. Europe’s road safety record is under threat. Police budgets are being slashed, staff numbers are falling and a long-term trend towards ever-fewer road deaths has ground to a halt. The line on the graph has flat-lined. Does Europe’s road network face a far more dangerous future? Lower and
    Read More

Highlighted Content