New city buses to be fully emission-free from 2035

The Environment Council meeting in Luxembourg adopted the Council's general approach to the regulation on new CO2 emission limits for trucks and buses on 16 October. The Czech Republic has contributed to a significant mitigation of the impact of this forthcoming regulation. The most significant change is the exemption of all long-distance and suburban buses from the requirements for full zero-emission operation and the delay of the commitment to full zero-emission urban buses by five years to 2035. The proposal, approved, also foresees a review of the objectives and the whole regulation in 2027.

"As with the EURO 7 emissions standard, we have ensured that the impact of the proposal on transport accessibility and Czech businesses is mitigated. Although we won a number of concessions in our favour, we had to abstain in the final vote because the standard is still too ambitious and difficult to achieve," Transport Minister Martin Kupka emphasised. The changes will also have a positive impact on local governments and urban transport businesses. 

Together with other countries, we have negotiated the following:
1) Zero-emission operation will be mandatory for all new urban buses from 2035, not 2030 as originally proposed by the European Commission. "For the Czech Republic, which is one of the European leaders in bus production, where cities provide robust public transport, this is an important point of the whole proposal," says Minister Martin Kupka, who is responsible for this regulation.
2) Zero-emission targets will not apply to long-distance, regional and suburban buses.
3) Inclusion of a carbon correction factor in the review clause, which would allow, for example, advanced biofuels or synthetic fuels to be counted in the targets to some extent. "We consider this as an important contribution to the principles of technological neutrality," Kupka emphasises. 
4) A review clause to ensure that the effectiveness and sustainability of the measures are re-assessed in 2027.

What remains unchanged from the original proposal:
- CO2 reduction limits for new trucks for these milestones:
- 45% reduction in emissions from 2030;
- 65% emission reductions from 2035;
- 90% emission reductions from 2040.

The European Commission's proposal covers trucks (over 5 tonnes), urban and long-distance buses (over 7.5 tonnes) and trailers (non-motorised vehicles towed by a motor vehicle) over 8 tonnes.
The proposal does not apply to these heavy vehicles:
- vehicles produced by small manufacturers;
- vehicles used for mining, forestry and agricultural purposes;
- vehicles designed and manufactured for use by the armed forces and tracked vehicles;
- vehicles designed and constructed or adapted for use by civil protection, fire rescue services and services responsible for the maintenance of public order or emergency medical care;
- special-purpose vehicles such as garbage trucks.

The next step in the negotiations on the proposal is the expected adoption of the European Parliament's position, followed by negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament on the final text.