Today, with 445 votes in favor, 152 against and 30 abstentions, the European Parliament adopted its position on the legislative proposal to lay down CO2 standards for heavy motor vehicles presented on February 14 by the European Commission. In the text, MEPs called for new targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from medium and heavy trucks and buses. The proposed targets consist of a 45% reduction in emissions for the period 2030-2034, 65% for 2035-2039 and 90% as of 2040. In addition, the text welcomes the Commission's proposal to authorise the registration of only new zero-emission municipal buses starting in 2030 and proposes a temporary exemption of up to 2035 percent, under certain conditions, for urban buses. powered to biomethane.

The text approved by the European Parliament today does not at all meet Transport & Environment (T&E), the organisation that promotes the reduction of the environmental impact of transport, according to which with their go-ahead " MEPs launch an anchor of the salvation to the oil industry by supporting the loophole of biofuels for trucks ", biofuels and efuels, "said T&E," admitted in the legislation for the decarbonisation of the heavy means by effectively weakening emission reduction targets for trucks. With a majority of only seven votes, the deputies voted to allow trucks powered by synthetic fuels and even more unsustainable biofuels, such as palm oil and soy, to be considered "neutral" from the climate point of view and emissions. "

"Biofuels and efuels," T&E Chief Transport Officer Fedor Unterlohner said, would not decarbonize logistics and heavy vehicles. Rather, they will allow to sell as many diesel trucks as possible for the decades to come. Oil companies have exerted strong pressure to obtain this loophole, in order to keep up the demand for hydrocarbons. We call on the Council to close any gap to this solution and reject these pressures. "

"The days of the polluting diesel trucks are numbered," Unterlohner said. MEPs and governments agree that almost all the sales of "fossil" heavy vehicles will have to end by 2040. Now negotiators should reject the planned loophole for alternative fuels and finalise the law without delay, so that the industry can invest with certainty in the production of zero-emission trucks. "

The European Parliament's vote should not fully satisfy the association of European shipowners ECSA which, in view of the pronouncement of the assembly in Strasbourg, last Thursday had urged the EU not to reduce the share of fuels clean available for decarbonisation of shipping ( of the November 16 2023).