The EU Parliament vote: Euro 7 standard for heavy-duty vehicles postponed to 2031

In Brussels, Euro 7 was not rejected, but certainly postponed. It is indeed official: the implementation of the stricter exhaust emission regulations for road vehicles has been approved with 329 yes votes, 230 votes against and 41 abstentions. Cars will wait two years, compared to the original text, heavy-duty vehicles four years.

As reported by Reuters: “New European Union pollution rules for combustion engine cars and trucks are set to be less ambitious than originally planned, after lawmakers voted on Thursday to delay and weaken some of the regulations. The EU’s proposed ‘Euro 7’ law would tighten limits on health-harming pollutants from combustion engine cars. The European Commission, which drafts new EU laws, has said the health benefits would far outweigh the costs.”

Euro 7 standard from EU Parliament: the very first reactions

The Commission aimed to implement Euro 7 rules starting in 2025. “The senseless proposal of the [European Commission] will be fundamentally changed,” Alexandr Vondra, EU Parliament’s lead lawmaker on the rules, said in a post on social media platform X.

Green lawmakers criticised the vote as a missed chance to reduce the roughly 70,000 premature deaths per year in Europe attributed to vehicle pollution. “The EU is missing the opportunity to be the future leader in green technology,” Green EU lawmaker Bas Eickhout added.

IRU EU Advocacy Director Raluca Marian said, “We’re pleased to see that the Parliament’s plenary has reached a realistic position on Euro 7 emission standards, with proportionality between the environmental benefits sought and the investments needed, as called for by IRU. This is exactly what the EU needs, a regulatory environment that fosters efficiency and sustainability”.