The process of amending the CO2 Regulation has begun
Zero emissions for biofuel cars, one of the novelties in the text (rapporteur Salini) in the Environment Commission of the Europarliament - Pan (Confindustria): 'Right to leave the possibility to choose the best solutions'
The process begins at the Europarliament for the proposal to reform the text presented by the European Commission on the regulation to cut CO2 emissions for the automotive sector to 2035. This is the first and most important of the documents on which the Council (member states) and Parliament (political groups) are working to change the vision of the Von der Leyen Commission on the automotive sector and arrive at a synthesis, in the Trilogue, in early 2027.
"The draft report overcomes many critical aspects of the Commission's proposal, responding to the concerns of the sector with concrete solutions: it is now important that it be approved without weakening its content," emphasises Confindustria's Vice-President for the European Union, Stefan Pan. The text has been formally submitted to the ENVI Commission - the rapporteur is Forza Italia-Popolare MEP Massimiliano Salini -, there will be a week for the submission of amendments and then, in ten days, the start of the discussion, which will have to seek a synthesis on issues that are apparently technical but actually relate to precise industrial visions. The ENVI committee will be called upon to approve the final text, which will then be presented and voted on by the Eurocamera and used as a basis for starting negotiations with the EU Council.
Among the main novelties is the introduction, with the entry into force of the regulation, of a new category of zero-emission vehicles powered exclusively by sustainable fuels (VEEF) and the possibility of distinguishing decarbonisation paths for cars and light commercial vehicles, giving more time and room for manoeuvre to the latter sector. Among the points in the field, the possibility of using sustainable renewable fuels and green steel to obtain emission credits - as of now and not from 2035, with a reinforced credit system even beyond 2035
'This is a first step,' Pan insists, 'but it testifies to the progressive awareness on the part of the legislators in Brussels. Once the decarbonisation targets have been set, it is right to leave operators and consumers the option of choosing the best solutions for each context, overcoming the ideological and universalistic approach that has characterised European strategies to date'.
A complex game is being played in Europe around the automotive sector, which crosses not only different political cultures but also diverging industrial policy visions. It cannot be ruled out that the proposal will face a 'variable majority' vote, with the support of the Right and without the support of the Socialists, for example. And it is equally foreseeable that on the Industrial Accelerator Act, another important chapter for the future of the car industry, there will be a clear contrast in the Council between France, which is in favour of the 'Made in Europe' system, with the obligation to have a percentage of components made by European manufacturers - up to 70% - on board cars in order to be eligible for credits and aid, and Germany, which is much more critical on this aspect.
