Nine European Union member states are urging the European Commission to set a date for the phasing out of new petrol and diesel cars so that the Union can meet its goal of becoming climate-neutral, Bloomberg reported. Tackling transport pollution, which accounts for a quarter of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, is one of the biggest challenges for the 27-nation bloc in terms of environmental protection.
Europe must send a clear signal to manufacturers, fleet owners and consumers to speed up the transition to electric vehicles, according to a document sent to EU climate and transport leaders from Austria, Belgium, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania and Luxembourg. , Malta and the Netherlands.
“If you consider the lives of cars, you just have to stop adding new fossil fuel cars around 2030 if you want to be carbon neutral in 2050.”, explains Stintier Van Veldhoven, Dutch Secretary of State for Infrastructure, in an interview with Bloomberg News.
Recent actions show tensions over making ambitious climate targets a reality. EU leaders approved in December an acceleration of the 2030 emissions reduction target to at least 55% from 1990 levels compared to the current 40%. In June, the Union’s regulatory body will propose new provisions to bring the economy in line with the new pollution target.
The legislative package, known as “Fit for 55” (55% emission reduction), will include a revised regulation on CO2 standards for cars and vans, which the nine countries say should be “significantly strengthened”. The measure should also include provisions for the phasing out of fossil fuel vehicles, according to the group of 9.
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