Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2017)676 - Emission performance standards for new passenger cars, light commercial vehicles as part of the integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles (recast) - Main contents
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dossier | COM(2017)676 - Emission performance standards for new passenger cars, light commercial vehicles as part of the integrated approach to ... |
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source | COM(2017)676 ![]() |
date | 08-11-2017 |
1. CONTEXT OFTHEPROPOSAL
• Reasons for and objectives of the proposal
The automotive sector is of particular importance for the EU, providing jobs for more than 12 million people in manufacturing, sales, maintenance and transport. The EU car industry as part of the global automotive sector is currently facing fundamental transformations. Digitalization and automation are altering traditional manufacturing processes. Innovation in electrified power trains, autonomous driving and connected vehicles constitute major challenges which may fundamentally transform the sector. In addition, the share of the EU car market in global sales has declined in the last decade from around a third to around 20%, putting additional pressure on EU industry to reach out to new markets.
Following the Paris Agreement1, the world has committed to move towards a low-carbon economy. Many countries are now implementing policies for low-carbon transport, including vehicle standards, often in combination with measures to improve air quality. Until now, the CO2 emission reduction standards for cars and vans in place in Europe have represented a fundamental tool to push for innovation and investments in low carbon technologies. But today, in the absence of tighter standards for the period beyond 2020, the EU risks losing its technological leadership in particular with respect to zero/low emission vehicles, with the US, Japan, South Korea and China moving ahead very quickly.
China has just introduced mandatory quotas for zero/low-emission vehicles for car manufacturers from 2019 on. In the US, California and nine other States have successfully established a regulatory instrument to enhance the uptake of zero/low-emission vehicles. The strategic importance of zero/low emission vehicles for car manufacturers is underpinned by numerous recent announcements that the share of electrified powertrains in their global sales will significantly increase in the coming years. The EU automotive industry must become a global leader in these new technologies, as is currently the case with conventional car technologies.
Consumers in the EU miss out on possible fuel savings under the current regulatory framework. According to the evaluation of the current CO2 Regulations, the fuel savings resulting from the CO2 standards significantly outweigh the additional purchase cost but lifetime fuel expenditure savings have been lower than anticipated, primarily because of the increasing divergence between test cycle and real world emissions performance. If the emissions gap is reduced and technologies delivering fuel savings under real world conditions are fitted to new vehicles, consumers would benefit even more.
The Commission's European Strategy for Low-Emission mobility2, published in July 2016, sets the ambition that by 2050 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transport will need to be at least 60% lower than in 1990 and firmly on the path towards zero. Air pollutant emissions from transport need to be drastically reduced without delay. The Strategy also made clear that the deployment of low- and zero-emission vehicles would need to increase in order to gain significant market share by 2030 and set the EU firmly on the long-term trajectory towards zero-emission mobility.
The Strategy was, in a first step, implemented by the May 2017 Communication 'Europe on the Move: An agenda for a socially fair transition towards clean, competitive and connected
eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT:22016A1019(01) COM(2016) 501 final
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mobility for all'3. It makes clear that the EU aims for the best low-emission, connected and automated mobility solutions, equipment and vehicles to be developed, offered and manufactured in Europe and to have in place the most modern infrastructure to support them. The Communication underlines that the EU must be a leader in shaping on-going changes in the automotive sector at a global level, building on the key progress already made.
The current CO2 emission standards for cars and vans until 2020/21 have contributed to significantly reduce CO2 emissions from light duty vehicles.4 However, with current implemented policies GHG emissions are not expected to sufficiently decrease to reach the 2030 EU target of at least 40% emission reduction compared to 1990. Road transport was responsible for 22% of EU GHG emissions in 2015 with a steady increase of this share since 1990. Cars and vans accounted for 73% of road transport GHG emissions in 2015.
While the transport sector has considerably reduced its emissions of air pollutants in the EU over the last decades, it remains the largest contributor to NOx emissions. Zero-emission vehicles do not only contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions from road transport, but also deliver benefits in terms of air pollutant emission free transport.
This proposal sets cost-effective CO2 emission reduction targets for new light-duty vehicles up to 2030 combined with a dedicated incentive mechanism to increase the share of zero/low-emission vehicles. This will ensure that the EU automotive industry maintains its technological leadership, thus strengthening its competitiveness, and stimulate employment. It will also reduce fuel consumption costs for consumers. It will at the same time contribute to the achievement of the EU's commitments under the Paris Agreement. The incentive mechanism to increase the share of zero/low-emission vehicles will in particular contribute to the reduction of air pollutants and in turn increase air quality with public health benefits. It complements on-going efforts to address air quality problems at urban, regional, and national level.
More specifically, it will provide a clear signal and predictability for industry to invest, stimulate employment, foster innovation and competitiveness. In addition, it will accelerate the deployment of zero/low-emission vehicles and the development of fuel efficient technologies in the EU and thus provide the basis for maintaining the EU automotive industry's success in global markets. Supported by the necessary flanking measures at EU and national levels, investments in charging infrastructures are expected to take place.
New dedicated governance mechanisms will ensure that CO2 emission and fuel consumption values remain representative of the values experienced by consumers on the road. The proposal also ensures that efforts among the manufacturers are fairly distributed.
This proposal is part of a broader mobility package which includes demand-side actions supporting the supply-side measures of this proposal. Directive 2009/33/EC on the promotion of clean, energy-efficient road vehicles seeks to stimulate the market for clean, energy-efficient vehicles. The proposed amendment ensures that the Directive covers all relevant procurement practices, that it provides clear, long-term market signals and that its provisions are simplified and effective to use. It should improve the contribution from the transport sector to the reduction of CO2 and air pollutant emissions and to competitiveness and growth of the sector.
Ricardo-AEA and TEPR (2015), Evaluation of Regulations 443/2009 and 510/2011 on the reduction of CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles, available at:
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The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive addresses the provision of common standards on the internal market, requirements for appropriate minimum infrastructure, to be developed through national policy frameworks, and consumer information on the compatibility of fuels and vehicles. The Action Plan on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure outlines a set of recommendations to reinforce implementation of National Policy Frameworks (NPFs) under the Directive and improve planning and financing of inter-operable fuels infrastructure.
A battery initiative shall help to establish a complete value-chain for the development and manufacturing of batteries in the EU.
In addition, in the first half of 2018, the Commission plans to table CO2 emission reduction targets for new heavy-duty vehicles.
• Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area
This proposal will contribute to the Energy Union Framework Strategy5 goal to bring about the transition to a low-carbon, secure and competitive economy. It will help to meet the objectives set out in the EU 2030 framework for climate and energy, which includes targets of an at least 40% cut in domestic EU GHG emissions compared to 1990 levels. The GHG emission reductions in the non-ETS sectors, which include road transport, will have to amount to at least 30% by 2030 compared to 2005. The Commission has proposed 2030 GHG emission reduction targets for Member States under the Effort Sharing Regulation6 covering the non-ETS sectors. CO2 standards for light-duty vehicles for the period after 2020 will help Member States to achieve those targets.
Moreover, the Emissions Trading System (ETS) as a cornerstone of the EU's climate policy contributes to decarbonise the power sector which will play an increasing role in road transport with a higher share of electrified vehicles.
FP7 and Horizon 2020 have provided a total funding of more than EUR 1.5 billion to support research and development of batteries, alternative fuels and all aspects of vehicle electrification.
The Commission's 2016 proposal for a revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II)7 seeks to reduce GHG emissions in fuels through the introduction of an EU-level obligation for fuel suppliers to provide by 2030 a 6.8% minimum share of low-emission and renewable fuels including renewable electricity and advanced biofuels.
The proposed revision of the Eurovignette Directive foresees charges based on emissions performance which will make it possible to reward the most environmentally-friendly vehicles and incentivise the renewal of the vehicle fleet8.
• Consistency with other Union policies
As highlighted in the recently adopted Renewed Industrial Policy Strategy9, a modern and competitive automotive industry is key for the EU economy. However, for the sector to
Proposal for a Regulation on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 for a resilient Energy Union and to meet commitments under the Paris Agreement and amending Regulation No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council on a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and other information relevant to climate change, COM(2016) 482 final
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (recast), COM/2016/0767 final
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 1999/62/EC on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures, COM(2017) 275 final COM(2017) 479 final
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maintain its technological leadership and thrive in global markets, it will have to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable technologies and new business models. Only this will ensure that Europe will have the most competitive, innovative and sustainable industry for 2030 and beyond.
In addition, the Commission's Blueprint initiative for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills10 launched in May 2016 includes the automotive sector as one of the sectors targeted. It offers the possibility for project applications to bring together key stakeholders from the social partners to identify qualification and skills challenges combined with the roll-out of tailored strategies at national or regional level to address these challenges.
2. LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY
• Legal basis
The legal basis for this proposal is Article 192 TFEU. In accordance with Article 191 and 192 i TFEU, the European Union shall contribute to the pursuit, inter alia, of the following objectives: preserving, protecting and improving the quality of the environment; promoting measures at international level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems, and in particular combating climate change.
• Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)
CO2 emission standards for cars and vans have been in place at EU level since 2009 and 2011 respectively setting targets until 2020/21. Without further EU action in this field it is likely there would be little additional substantial CO2 reduction from new light-duty vehicles, as seen in the EU in the period between 1995 and 2006 for cars. Some reduction in emissions would still be expected beyond 2021 due to the continuing renewal of the existing fleet with newer cars and vans meeting the 2020/21 CO2 standards. However, with transport activity expected to further increase, the overall CO2 reductions would not be sufficient to reach the 2030 GHG reduction target and the commitments under the Paris Agreement.
EU action is justified in view of both the cross-border impact of climate change and the need to safeguard single markets in vehicles. Without EU level action there would be a risk of a range of national schemes to reduce light duty vehicle CO2 emissions. If this were to happen it would result in differing ambition levels and design parameters which would require a range of technology options and vehicle configurations, diminishing economies of scale. National and local initiatives alone are likely to be less effective as they risk being incoherent, thus fragmenting the internal market.
Since manufacturers hold differing shares of the vehicle market in different Member States they would therefore be differentially impacted by various national legislations potentially causing competitive distortions. This would raise compliance costs for manufacturers as well as weaken the incentive to design fuel efficient cars and vans because of the fragmentation of the European market.
The additional costs which would arise from the lack of common standards and common technical solutions would be incurred by both component suppliers and vehicle manufacturers. However, they ultimately would be passed on to consumers who would face higher vehicle costs for the same level of greenhouse gas reduction without coordinated EU action.
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• Proportionality
This proposal complies with the proportionality principle because it does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve the objectives set. The proposal sets new standards in a cost-effective manner in order to achieve the required CO2 emissions reductions from cars and vans in line with the agreed EU 2030 climate and energy framework while at the same ensuring a fair distribution of efforts among manufacturers.
• Choice of the instrument
Since this proposal is a recast of two existing Regulations, a Regulation is the only appropriate instrument.
The recast technique allows in this case the merger of the two largely similar earlier Regulations into a single legislative text which makes the desired amendments, codifies those amendments with the unchanged provisions of the earlier acts, and repeals those acts. The proposed recast Regulation is in line with the Commission's commitment under the interinstitutional agreement on better law-making11.
3. RESULTS OF EX-POST EVALUATIONS, STAKEHOLDER
Contents
- CONSULTATIONS
- The Strategy was, in a first step, implemented by the May 2017 Communication 'Europe on the Move: An agenda for a socially fair transition towards clean, competitive and connected
- COM(2017) 283 final
- COM(2015) 080 final
- 11 12
- Ricardo-AEA and TEPR (2015), Evaluation of Regulations 443/2009 and 510/2011 on the reduction of
- Reference of the Executive Summary of the Impact Assessment: SWD(2017)650 Reference of the opinion of the Regulatory Scrutiny Board: SEC(2017)476
- The provisions on pooling for connected undertakings and independent manufacturers remain unchanged. However, an empowerment has been added for the Commission to clarify the
ANDIMPACTASSESSMENTS
• Ex-post evaluations/fitness checks of existing legislation
An extensive evaluation of the existing regulations was carried out as part of the Regulatory Fitness Programme (REFIT). This was completed in April 2015 and the final report of the consultants has been published12.
The evaluation report assessed the regulations against the objectives set in the original legislation. It concluded that the regulations were still relevant, broadly coherent, and had generated significant emissions savings, while being more cost-effective than originally anticipated for meeting the targets set. They also generated significant EU added value that could not have been achieved to the same extent through national measures.
Key conclusions of the evaluation were as follows:
• The Regulations are still valid and will remain so for the period beyond 2020.
• The Regulations have been more successful in reducing CO2 than previous voluntary agreements with industry.
• The passenger car CO2 Regulation is likely to have accounted for 65-85% of the reductions in tailpipe emissions achieved following its introduction. For light commercial vehicles (LCVs), the Regulation had an important role in speeding up emissions reductions.
• Impacts on competitiveness and innovation appear generally positive with no signs of competitive distortion.
• The evaluation report highlighted the following weaknesses:
OJ L 123, 12 May 2016, p.1.
CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles, available at:
https://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/clima/files/transport/vehicles/docs/evaluation_ldv_co2_regs_en.pdf
• The NEDC test cycle does not adequately reflect real-world emissions and there is an increasing discrepancy between test cycle and real-world emissions performance which has eroded the benefits of the Regulations.
• The Regulations do not consider emissions due to the production of fuels or associated with vehicle production and disposal.
• Some design elements (modalities) of the Regulations are likely to have had an impact on the efficiency of the Regulations. In particular, the use of mass as the utility parameter penalises the mass reduction as an emissions abatement option.
• The Regulations have generated net economic benefits to society.
• Costs to manufacturers have been much lower than originally anticipated as emissions abatement technologies have, in general, proved less costly than expected.
• Lifetime fuel expenditure savings exceed upfront manufacturing costs, but have been lower than anticipated, primarily because of the increasing divergence between test cycle and real world emissions performance.
• The Regulations are largely coherent internally and with each other.
• Modalities potentially weakening the Regulations, albeit with limited impacts, are the derogation for niche manufacturers, super-credits and the phase-in period (cars).
• The harmonisation of the market is the most crucial aspect of EU added-value and it is unlikely that uncoordinated action would have been as efficient. The Regulations ensure common requirements, thus minimising costs for manufacturers, and provide regulatory certainty.
• Stakeholder consultations
The Commission sought feedback from stakeholders through the following elements:
• a public on-line consultation between 20 July and 28 October 2016;
• a stakeholder workshop (24 March 2017) to present the results of the public consultation;
• a stakeholder workshop dedicated to jobs and skills (26 June 2017);
• meetings with relevant industry associations representing car manufacturers, components and materials suppliers, fuel suppliers;
• bilateral meetings with Member State authorities, vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, social partners and NGOs;
• position papers submitted by stakeholders or Member States.
A synopsis of the stakeholder consultation is provided in Annex 2 of the Impact Assessment for this proposal.
The main outcomes of the stakeholder consultations can be summarised as follows. Concerning target levels, cars and vans manufacturers in general support less ambitious target levels for 2030 compared to environment and transport NGOs as well as consumer organisations that are in favour of more ambitious target levels for both 2025 and 2030. As regards the distribution of efforts, manufacturers support a limit value curve based on mass, whereas environment and transport NGOs as well as consumer organisations prefer footprint
as utility parameter. While the automotive industry is mostly against a LEV/ZEV mandate, battery and electricity producers, and infrastructure investors, many European cities facing air quality problems, as well as most environment and transport NGOs call for such an approach. Consumer organisations take a neutral position on LEV/ZEV incentives.
• Collection and use of expertise
The Impact Assessment draws on evidence from the evaluation of the existing Regulations13.
For the quantitative assessment of the economic, social and environmental impacts, the Impact Assessment report relies on a dedicated set of cost curves, covering a broad range of up-to-date technologies for reducing CO2 emissions from cars and vans, and a suite of models. A range of scenarios was developed through the PRIMES-TREMOVE model, projecting the evolution of the road transport sector. This analysis was complemented by applying other modelling tools, such as GEM-E3 and E3ME (for the macro-economic impacts) and the JRC DIONE model, with newly developed features to assess impacts at manufacturer (category) level.
Data on greenhouse gas emissions and other characteristics of the new light-duty vehicle fleet was sourced from the annual monitoring data reported by Member States and collected by the European Environment Agency (EEA) under Regulations 443/2009 and 510/2011 on CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles.
In addition to the stakeholder consultations, further information was gathered through several support studies commissioned from external contractors, in particular addressing the following issues:
• the available technologies that can be deployed in the relevant time period to reduce new LDV CO2 emissions, as well as their effectiveness and cost;
• elements potentially impacting industrial competitiveness and employment;
• growing gap between test and real driving emissions and the factors contributing to this;
• the impact of different regulatory approaches, regulatory metrics and possible design elements (modalities);
• impacts on GHG and pollutant emissions. A list of studies is provided in Annex 1 of the Impact Assessment for this proposal.
• Impact assessment
The Impact Assessment accompanying this proposal has been prepared and developed in line with the applicable Better Regulation guidance, and the Regulatory Scrutiny Board has issued a positive opinion with reservations on 13 October 2017.
Improvements as recommended by the Board have been incorporated in the final version. This concerns the following: i description of the links with other EU policy initiatives, in particular the broader mobility packages presented by the Commission; (2) explanation of the main bottlenecks hampering the uptake of zero- and low-emission vehicles and how the proposed Regulation would contribute to addressing them; (3) clarification of the competitiveness challenge for the EU industry, in particular in terms of the risk of losing
13 Ricardo-AEA and TEPR (2015), Evaluation of Regulations 443/2009 and 510/2011 on the reduction of
CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles, available at:
https://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/clima/files/transport/vehicles/docs/evaluation_ldv_co2_regs_en.pdf
technological leadership and how the proposed Regulation can address it; i identification of the key trade-offs for the political decision; (5) assessment of the regulatory burden and the potential for simplification.
Policy options
The policy options considered in the impact assessment are grouped into five key elements which are to address the identified problems and achieve the policy objectives.
1) Targets (level, timing and metric)
Different target levels were assessed for the period until 2030, ranging from 10% to 40% reduction in 2030 compared to the 2021 EU fleet-average target for cars and the 2020 target for vans. Two options reflecting the target levels indicated by the European Parliament, which the Commission committed to assess during the 2014 negotiations, were also assessed.
Concerning the timing of the targets, the options considered included setting a target for 2030 only, setting targets for 2025 and 2030 as well as setting annual targets for each of the years 2022-2030. As for the metric for expressing the target, options considered included the current approach based on tailpipe emissions ("tank to wheel") as well as alternative options ("well to wheel", 'embedded emissions', 'mileage weighting').
The preferred option for the target levels is to set new EU fleet-wide CO2 targets equal to a 30% reduction in 2030 compared to the 2021 targets, both for cars and for vans.
The preferred option for the emission target metric is to maintain the Tank-to-Wheel (TTW) approach with targets set in g CO2/km for the sales-weighted average of the fleet because this approach is fully consistent with other policy instruments and changing the metric would not have delivered major benefits. The preferred option for the timing of the targets is to set new CO2 targets for cars and vans applying from 2025 and stricter targets applying from 2030 on in order to ensure that required cumulative CO2 emission reductions are achieved by 2030 to help meeting the targets set under the Effort Sharing Regulation. Such an approach will also provide a clear and early signal for the investment in low- and zero-emission vehicles.
2) Distribution of effort
Under the current Regulations, a limit value line is used to define the specific emission targets for individual manufacturers, starting from the EU-wide fleet targets. This linear curve defines the relation between the CO2 emissions and the vehicle mass in running order.
Besides the current approach, the following options were considered in the impact assessment: changing the slope of the limit value line, using another utility parameter (e.g. footprint) or using no utility parameter (equal reduction or equal target for all manufacturers).
The preferred option for distributing the EU-wide fleet targets across individual manufacturers from 2025 on, is to use a limit value curve, with the manufacturer specific targets depending on the average WLTP test mass of the vehicles and with the slope(s) of the curve ensuring an equivalent reduction effort amongst manufacturers.
3) ZEV/LEV incentives (definitions and types of incentives)
Using different definitions for low-emission vehicles (LEV), the impact assessment considered two different types of specific incentives for ZEV/LEV:
• Binding mandate: The same ZEV/LEV share would be required from all
manufacturers.
• Crediting system: This incentive would take into account a manufacturer’s share of ZEV/LEV when setting its specific CO2 target. A manufacturer exceeding a certain benchmark level of ZEV/LEV would be rewarded by getting a less strict CO2 target.
For each of the two types different mandate/benchmark levels were considered.
The preferred option as regards the LEV/ZEV incentive mechanism is a crediting system.
4) Elements for cost-effective implementation
Different elements that allow for cost-effective implementation were assessed. These include measures already included in the current Regulations such as eco-innovations, pooling, and derogations. In addition, new elements were considered such as trading as well as banking and borrowing.
The preferred option is to maintain the eco-innovation provisions, while extending the scope to air-conditioning systems and allowing for a revision of the 7 g/km cap, to maintain the pooling provisions, while clarifying how manufacturers may form open pools, not to introduce the possibility for trading, nor for banking or borrowing of CO2 credits and to remove the possibility for car manufacturers to be granted a 'niche' derogation.
5) Governance
The effectiveness of the targets in reducing CO2 emissions in reality depends on the one hand on the representativeness of the test procedure with respect to average real-world driving, and on the other hand on the extent to which the vehicles placed on the market conform to the reference vehicles tested at type approval. In this context, the European Parliament Recommendation following the inquiry into emission measurements in the automotive sector stressed that market surveillance mechanisms are critical for maintaining a reliable and trustworthy system.
Against that background and in line with the Recommendations of the Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM), several options have been considered. A first one was the collection, publication, and monitoring of real world fuel consumption data based on an obligation for manufacturers to fit a standardized fuel consumption measurement devices in new vehicles through type-approval legislation. A second one related to market surveillance measures is considered in relation to conformity of production and in service conformity checks.
The preferred option is to establish an empowerment for the Commission to allow (i) the collection, publication and monitoring of real world fuel consumption data and creating an obligation to report deviations linked to a correction mechanism and (ii) to correct reported CO2 emission values in case of deviations detected through improved market surveillance.
Reference of the Executive Summary of the Impact Assessment: SWD(2017)650 Reference of the opinion of the Regulatory Scrutiny Board: SEC(2017)476
• Regulatory fitness and simplification
In line with the Commission commitment to Better Regulation, the proposal has been prepared inclusively, based on transparency and continuous engagement with stakeholders.
The Impact Assessment has also analysed how to possibly simplify the legislation and reduce unnecessary administrative costs.
Manufacturers responsible for less than 1 000 newly registered vehicles per year, in many cases SMEs, remain exempt from meeting specific CO2 emissions targets. De minimis exemptions reduce compliance and administrative costs for small manufacturers. It also facilitates the market entry of new manufacturers whilst having no significant impacts on the overall CO2 reductions of the overall EU vehicles fleet.
Moreover, the proposal maintains several elements for cost-effective implementation such as pooling which reduce compliance costs for manufacturers.
The crediting system for zero- and low-emission vehicles would not create additional administrative burden. The deletion of the derogation for niche manufacturers will reduce administrative burden.
No changes in the compliance regime and in the level of fines are foreseen. The impacts of the options related to governance will depend on the concrete implementing measures.
• Fundamental rights
The proposal respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised in particular by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
4. BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS
The proposal does not require additional financial resources.
5. OTHERELEMENTS
• Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements
The proposal builds on the annual reporting and monitoring procedure that has been established under the current Regulations. In order to assess the compliance of manufacturers with their annual specific emissions targets, Member States report every year data for all newly registered cars and vans to the Commission. In addition to the type-approved CO2 emission and mass values, a number of other relevant data entries are monitored, including fuel type and CO2 emission savings from eco-innovations.
The Commission, supported by the European Environment Agency (EEA), publishes every year the monitoring data of the preceding calendar year including manufacturer specific CO2 performance calculations. Manufacturers have the opportunity to notify errors in the provisional data, as submitted by Member States. This well-established monitoring system constitutes an important basis for monitoring the impacts of the legislation.
In order to strengthen the governance aspects of the monitoring system, the impact assessment considered the option to take into account, for the manufacturer compliance check, whether the emissions of vehicles in use are in conformity with the type approved CO2 values.
In addition to the compliance assessment procedure, the impact assessment identified a list of core indicators to monitor the specific policy objectives to be achieved with this proposal. These are complemented by a set of operational objectives and indicators.
• Detailed explanation of the specific provisions of the proposal
Article 1- Subject matter and objectives
This Article specifies the EU fleet-wide CO2 targets applicable to new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles from 2020, 2025 and 2030. The Regulation is to apply from 2020 in order to ensure a coherent transition to a new target regime starting from 2025. It therefore
includes the already established EU fleet-wide targets for 2020 of 95g/km (NEDC based) for passenger cars and 147g/km (NEDC based) for light commercial vehicles, as well as new targets for 2025 and 2030.
Starting from 2021, the specific emission targets will be based on the new emissions test procedure, the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). Therefore, the 2025 and 2030 fleet-wide targets, which are WLTP based, are expressed as percentage reductions compared to the average of the specific emission targets for 2021 determined for each manufacturer in accordance with section 4 of Annex I.
Article 2- Scope
This Article defines the categories of vehicles that fall within the scope of this Regulation by reference to the type approval legislation. It also clarifies that the de minimis exemption applicable to manufacturers responsible for less than 1 000 new registrations per year should not apply where a manufacturer eligible for such an exemption nevertheless applies for and is granted a derogation.
Article 3 - Definitions
New definitions have been added for 'EU fleet-wide targets', 'zero- and low-emission vehicles' and 'test mass'.
Article 4 - Specific emission targets
This Article sets out the general obligation for a manufacturer to ensure that the average CO2 emissions of its fleet of newly registered vehicles in a calendar year do not exceed its annual specific emissions target. That target is manufacturer specific and is calculated as a function of the applicable EU fleet-wide target, the limit value curve, the average mass of the manufacturer's fleet and the reference mass (M0 or TM0). The mass calculation is based on mass in running order until 2024 inclusive. From 2025 the vehicle's test mass, which is closer to the real mass of the finished vehicle, should be used instead. The formulae for the calculations of the specific emission targets for the period from 2020 to 2030 are set out in Parts A and B of Annex I. The target calculations applicable in 2020 to 2024 are those set out in existing legislation.
From 2025, the specific emissions target for a manufacturer should be calculated taking into account the share of zero- and low-emission vehicles in the manufacturer's fleet. For the calculation of that share, the zero- and low-emission vehicles should be counted based on a weighting of the emissions of each vehicle. Where the share exceeds the EU fleet-wide benchmark, the manufacturer benefits from a higher specific emissions target.
In the case of light commercial vehicles, a distinction is made in the distribution of the effort between manufacturers of light commercial vehicles with an average test mass exceeding the average reference mass (TM0) and those with an average test mass lower than TM0. For the first group, the slope of the limit value curve is kept constant over time, while in the latter case the same approach as for passenger cars is used, i.e. the slope is modified according to the EU fleet-wide target.
Article 5 - Super credits for the 95 g CO2/km target for cars
This provision is unchanged and applies until 2022 inclusive.
Article 6 - Pooling
The provisions on pooling for connected undertakings and independent manufacturers remain unchanged. However, an empowerment has been added for the Commission to clarify the
conditions for pooling arrangements between independent manufacturers, in particular with regard to competition rules.
Article 7 - Monitoring and reporting
The general provisions on the monitoring of CO2 data from Member States remain unchanged. However, a strengthening of the obligation on Member States to ensure high quality data and cooperate with the Commission has been added.
A mechanism is added to take into account, for the purpose of the monitoring, deviations found in the CO2 emissions of vehicles in use as compared to the type approval values. This mechanism builds on the proposal to introduce a procedure for in-service conformity checks of the CO2 emission values in type approval legislation. Type approval authorities should report any deviations detected, and the Commission should take those into account when checking manufacturers' compliance with their targets. The provision includes an empowerment for the Commission to provide the details for such a procedure by way of an implementing act.
Article 8 - Excess emission premium
This Article sets out the formula for calculating the financial penalties in case a manufacturer exceeds its target. The excess emission premium from the existing Regulations is maintained, i.e. 95 euro/g CO2/km.
Article 9 - Publication of performance of manufacturers
The Article lists the data that the Commission shall publish with regard to manufacturers' annual target compliance (i.e. the annual monitoring decision). Test mass has been added as a data parameter to be published, in view of its use as utility parameter from 2025 onwards.
Article 10 - Derogation for certain manufacturers
The possibility for small volume manufacturers (i.e. those responsible for 1 000 to 10 000 registrations for cars, and 1 000 to 22 000 registrations for vans) to apply for a derogation from their specific emissions targets is maintained.
For niche manufacturers of cars, i.e. those responsible for between 10 000 and 300 000 new registered vehicles, the possibility to benefit from a derogation from the 95g CO2/km target remains. However, with effect from 2025 this group of manufacturers will have to meet the specific emission targets calculated in accordance with Annex I.
Article 11 - Eco-innovations
Manufacturers may continue to benefit from lower average emissions by fitting their vehicles with eco-innovations approved in accordance with this Article. In order to take into account the changes in eco-innovation savings that may occur as a result of the change in the regulatory test procedure, an empowerment for the Commission to adjust the 7 g CO2/km cap set on the CO2 savings that a manufacturer may take into account for reducing its average emissions has been added. This empowerment should apply from 2025 onwards.
The eligibility criteria for being considered an eco-innovation remain unchanged until 2024 inclusive. From 2025 the removal of the reference to the integrated approach measures will allow mobile air-conditioning equipment to be eligible as an eco-innovation.
Article 12 - Real world CO2 emissions and energy consumption
This Article provides an empowerment for the Commission to monitor and assess the real world representativeness the WLTP test procedure and to ensure that the public is informed of how that representativeness evolves over time.
For that purpose, the Commission should have the power to request real world data to be collected and reported by Member States and manufacturers.
Article 13 - Adjustments of M0 and TM0
The CO2 reduction effort is distributed among manufacturers on the basis of the average mass of the vehicle fleet over a certain period. That reference value is expressed as M0 or TM0 depending on whether mass in running order (M) or the vehicle test mass (TM) is used. The provision clarifies the process for adjusting the reference mass value to ensure that the specific emission targets continue to reflect the EU fleet-wide target. With effect from 2025, the frequency of those adjustments should increase from every three years to every second year. A more frequent adjustment will allow changes in the average test mass and their effect on the positioning of manufacturers on the limit value curve to be taken into account earlier.
Article 14 - Review and report
This Article includes a requirement for the Commission to provide a report on the effectiveness of this Regulation, where appropriate accompanied by a proposal. The report is proposed to be submitted in 2024 to align it with the review and reporting provisions proposed under the Effort Sharing Regulation and the Emissions Trading Directive.
The Article also maintains provisions on the review of the type approval test procedure as well as the empowerments for taking into account changes in the regulatory test procedure.
Articles 15 and 16 - Comitology and delegation of powers
These are standard provisions on the committee procedure and the delegation of powers.
Article 17 - Amendment to Regulation (EC) No 715/2007
This amendment aims to introduce a legal basis in Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 (Euro 5/6 emissions type approval regulation) for the Commission to set up an in-service conformity procedure for verifying CO2 emission. This procedure is essential for an effective market surveillance of the type approval system and the CO2 emission values used for target compliance purposes.
Article 18 and 19 - Repeal and entry into force
Regulations (EC) No 443/2009 and (EU) No 510/2011 are repealed with effect from 1 January 2020. Entry into force should take place within 20 days of publication of the act.
Annexes I to V
Annex I: sets out the formulae for calculating the annual specific emissions targets that should be achieved by the average emissions of the manufacturers' fleets of newly registered vehicles. Part A covers passenger cars, while Part B covers light commercial vehicles.
Annex II and III: These Annexes set out the monitoring data parameters that are needed for the calculation of the targets and for checking target compliance. Annex III – covering light commercial vehicles – also makes reference to the need to consider the specificities of vehicles that are type approved in multiple stages.
Annex IV: This Annex lists the legal acts covered by the recast, i.e. the two basic Regulations (EC) No 443/2009 and (EU) No 510/2011 with their respective amending acts.
Annex V: The correlation table
^ 510/2011 (adapted)
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