Commission welcomes political agreement on the Euro 7 regulation

The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the Euro 7 Regulation addressing pollutant emission from vehicles.

As proposed by the Commission in November 2022, Euro 7 addresses the main air pollutants including particles, ultrafine particles, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, but excluding carbon dioxide, which is regulated in the CO2-standards for cars and vans.

For the first time in the EU, this revised piece of legislation will regulate particles coming from brakes and tyres for all vehicles, which represent an important source of emissions in particular for electric vehicles.  In addition, tyre abrasion limits are also a crucial measure to reduce microplastics. The political agreement will increase consumer confidence by ensuring the respect of emission limits for twice as long as today, i.e. 200.000 km and 10 years of use, and establishing durability requirements for EV batteries.

While the co-legislators agreed on a more moderate reduction of exhaust emissions from cars and vans than originally proposed by the Commission, the agreed regulation will still significantly reduce exhaust emissions from lorries and buses, which will take longer than cars and vans to become zero emissions. In particular, NOx emissions from lorries and buses will be halved (from 400 to 200 mg per kWh).

Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton said: “Today’s agreement on Euro 7 provides a clear pathway for manufacturers to improve air quality with cleaner combustion engines and electric vehicles. In particular, it marks a big step forward for reducing emissions from brakes and tyres and establishes durability requirements for EV batteries. Emission limits will need to be respected for longer, which can reassure consumers when buying second-hand vehicles.”

The political agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council is now subject to their formal approval.