Euro 7: EU shies away from tighter regulations

Emission values of newly registered vehicles in the EU may not exceed certain limits. Car manufacturers thus have to keep developing new technologies to reduce exhaust emission levels. For example, the current Euro 6 standard sets limits of 500 milligrams per kilometre (mg/km) of carbon monoxide and 80 mg/km of nitrogen oxide for diesel cars. For petrol cars, the values are 1,000 mg/km and 60 mg/km. For heavier vehicles, the limits are sometimes less stringent. Within Euro Standard 6 there are subcategories which have the same limit values for the respective vehicle categories, but prescribe, for example, a stricter test procedure. While the tests were comparatively simple at the beginning of the introduction of Euro 6, they became more and more stringent over time in order to test vehicles under a wide range of conditions. For example, real-world fuel and energy consumption must now be tested over the entire driving period and at different temperatures and must comply with the specifications. 

The new Euro 7 standard, which is to apply from January 2025, was originally intended to affect all vehicle classes and to significantly tighten the limits. For diesel cars, for example, nitrogen oxide emissions were to fall to those of petrol cars, i.e. to 60 mg/km. 

The EU Council has now decided against tightening the emission limits for passenger cars and vans. For heavier vehicles, the tightening is to come. Italy and France, among others, had spoken out against the new Euro 7 standard for passenger cars. In their opinion, carmakers already had enough to do with regard to the switch to e-cars. In their opinion, it would be counterproductive to focus on reducing the emissions of combustion engines, which are already on the brink of extinction. Instead, the industry should concentrate on the further development and innovation of e-cars in order to be able to stand up to other manufacturers, for example from the USA and China. 

Germany had spoken out in favour of the stricter limits. The Council's decision is therefore met with incomprehension.  Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke is extremely critical of the decision, especially with regard to human health. The State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Economics, Sven Giegold, called the decision unambitious. The proposal from Germany to include e-fuels in the new standard was also not adopted. Transport Minister Volker Wissing had held up the legislative process at the last minute to pave the way for e-fuels - but without success. The organisation Transport & Environment agrees with the German position. Euro Standard 7 is indispensable to promote innovation with regard to emissions in the automotive industry. 

The EU's draft legislation on emissions of particulate matter from brakes and tyres remains unchanged. These non-exhaust emissions are produced by both internal combustion engines and e-cars. The heavier the vehicles are, for example because of large battery systems for a long range of e-cars, the more fine dust is produced by abrasion when driving on the road. So the new Euro standard will also pose new challenges for the production of e-cars. 

Against the background that the EU has only set significantly low limits for air pollution in the EU on 13.09.2023, the watering down of Euro Standard 7 is astonishing. How is the air in the EU supposed to become cleaner and the member states to align themselves with WHO standards if carmakers are allowed to continue producing with old emission standards. If the member states do not receive support from the industry, environmental zones and driving bans would be quite conceivable throughout the EU, even for the then older Euro standard 6.