EU ministers today reached a common position on CO2 emissions requirements for new heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), but only agreed to a 2027 "assessment" of the role biofuels will play in transitioning towards zero-emission mobility.
The agreement between member states now allows for talks on a final text after the European Parliament adopts a position, expected in November. "There's overwhelming support for the why, what and how of the proposal," said newly appointed climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. "It makes a lot of sense not to lower the level of our ambition."
EU ministers followed the European Commission's February proposal that sets out new HDV CO2 reduction targets of 45pc from 2030, increasing to 65pc from 2035. For 2040, new HDVs need to achieve CO2 reductions of 90pc, effectively banning new internal combustion engine (ICE) trucks.
By not including a CO2 crediting scheme for alternative fuels, both EU states and the commission make compliance very difficult for new ICE trucks running on biofuels or low-carbon fuels.
Italian minister Gilberto Pichetto said he was "particularly upset" during discussions by "imbalanced" compromises. Italy had proposed a carbon correction factor (CCF) so as to include "liquid and gaseous renewable fuels, including e-fuels, produced with renewable energy" and meeting sustainability and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions saving criteria from the bloc's renewables directive. This would have allowed for sustainable biofuels.
But EU ministers only called on the commission to produce an "assessment of the role of a carbon correction factor (CCF) in the transition towards zero-emission mobility in the heavy-duty vehicle sector."
Amendments based on Italy's proposal are still up for vote in the European Parliament's environment committee on 23-24 October. More generally, parliament wants a 64pc CO2 reduction target for new HDVs sold in 2030-34, rising to 95pc in 2035-39 and to 100pc from 2040. Parliament's report, to be adopted in plenary in November, also proposes zero-emission buses reach a market share of 100pc of all buses sold by 2030. EU states want a 100pc target for zero-emission urban buses by 2035, and 85pc by 2030 with an exemption for "inter-urban" buses.
A range of industries have pushed for inclusion of zero-emission fuels. "It's essential that the definition of CO2-neutral fuel also includes sustainable biofuels and is not solely limited to RFNBOs," said Dasa Mamrillova from waste-based biofuels association Ewaba.
