New EU standard must reduce vehicle pollution to lowest level feasible, say cities and civil society
Euro 7 is the last chance to slash toxic air pollution from engines, cities and NGOs have told the EU Commission in a letter.
Despite the proposed phase out of internal combustion engine cars in 2035 and the uptake of electric cars, a new Euro 7 standard is still relevant. That’s the message of civil society groups and cities – including Pars, London and Brussels – to six members of the European Commission today. In a letter they call on the commissioners to propose a standard that reduces pollution to the lowest levels that are technically feasible and closes all loopholes left behind from the Dieselgate era.
T&E forecasts that 95 million more combustion engine cars will be sold in Europe between 2025 and 2035, when Euro 7 is expected to enter into force while the take-up of zero emission trucks will take time. On average, these vehicles will remain on the road for more than a decade and much longer in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, often in excess of 15 years. This means there is at least another quarter of a century of polluting vehicles on the EU’s roads.
