Emission performance standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles

This briefing is one in a series of 'Implementation Appraisals' on the operation of existing EU legislation in practice. Each such briefing focuses on a specific EU law which is likely to be amended or reviewed, as foreseen in the European Commission's Annual Work Programme.

Implementation Appraisals aim to provide a succinct overview of material publicly available on the implementation, application and effectiveness of an EU law to date – drawing on available input from the EU institutions and external organisations. They are provided to assist parliamentary committees in their consideration of the new proposals, once tabled.According to the various reports and assessments presented in this briefing, the existing cars and vans regulations appear to be well implemented, with the majority of car and van manufacturers meeting their CO2 specific emission targets in 2015, and some well on their way to reaching the 2020/2021 targets.

However, the ultimate aim of the regulations is to deliver a significant reduction in real-world CO2 emissions. While CO2 emissions as measured on the test cycle is one element of this, there are other external trends that influence CO2 emissions from cars and vans, including the total number of cars and vans and the distance covered, and the level and composition of fuels.

The effectiveness of the legislation should be considered in conjunction with other policy instruments, including laboratory test cycles, embedded emissions or the use of CO2-linked vehicle taxation.

In addition, any future evaluation of the regulations and the setting of new effective emission limits should take into account the introduction of the new worldwide harmonised light vehicles test procedure (WLTP) in September 2017, and the entry into force of the new type approval regulation. To significantly reduce transport emissions, the setting out of new CO2 emission targets could include the adoption of a number of measures that would allow for better monitoring of real driving emissions.

In order to achieve lasting and sustainable emission reductions in the transport sector, and rebuild the trust of consumers in the regulatory system and the car industry, a much broader and holistic approach appears necessary. This could consist of a systemic and integrated approach combining various policy instruments, accommodating the use of alternative energies in transport, increased vehicle energy efficiency and intelligent management of transport demand and infrastructure.

EP: EPRS: Briefing: Implementation Appraisal: Ex-ante Impact Assessment http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/search.html?policyAreas=EXIMAS

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