Paris and several other European metropolises have submitted a petition to the EU Parliament in which they rail against the planned Euro 7 standard. In its weakened form, it is a bitter setback, even a "licence to kill". The manufacturers should not be given a raw deal - after all, human lives are at stake.
The capital of Bulgaria has the highest air pollution in Europe. The values for fine dust are 6 times higher than recommended by the WHO. The reason for the dirty air is, among other things, old diesel from Western Europe. And the lack of an environmental zone!
More and more environmental zones are being abolished in Germany. This is now also the case in Baden-Württemberg in the south-west of the Federal Republic. The administration in Stuttgart wants to abolish 5 low emission zones from January 2024. The reason is the improved air quality. A dangerous step for the health of the residents.
The new Euro 7 emissions standard is due to come into force in 2025. Actually, the new standard should affect the emissions of all vehicles. The EU Council has now decided against tightening it for passenger cars and vans compared to Euro 6. In view of the stricter limits for air quality, which the EU decided on exactly a fortnight ago, the decision of the EU Council seems paradoxical.
On Wednesday, 13.09.2023, the EU Commission voted in favour of adjusting the limit values for air pollutants. This means that the permissible limit values will be significantly lowered from 2035. This change will have far-reaching consequences for transport and air pollution control in cities across the EU. We took a closer look.
The permitted values for particulate matter and nitrogen oxide are to be adjusted to the latest limit values of the WHO. These are many times lower than current EU standards. The cities must make massive improvements and take measures in the next few years. Otherwise, the EU could soon be plastered with environmental zones.
Actually, there should be a ban on diesel Euro5 vehicles in Piedmont in Italy soon. 76 municipalities would be affected. Now the council has put the changes on hold for the time being. A sigh of relief for the owners of the approximately 140,000 vehicles.
In the south of France, people are suffering from enormous heat these days. This contributes massively to the formation of ozone. Therefore, strict driving bans have already been declared in Marseille. Avignon, Toulon and Nice are also threatened with driving bans.
The planned ban on older diesel and petrol vehicles in Flanders is postponed. Originally, diesel Euro5 and petrol Euro2 vehicles were to be banned from entering Antwerp and Ghent in less than 4 months. Now the government has postponed these tightening measures by one year and completely suspended all further bans.
Glasgow City Council has come under fire for its hypocritical implementation of the Low Emissions Zone (LEZ). While the council is asking businesses and commuters to comply with the LEZ regulations, its own vehicles are not compliant and the Lord Mayor's VW Phaeton limousine is also banned.
