EU governments have adopted a change to CO2 rules for new heavy-duty vehicles that temporarily alters how manufacturers can earn emissions credits on the way to the bloc’s 2030 targets.
The Council of the EU formally adopted a targeted amendment to the regulation on CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, introducing a temporary flexibility for manufacturers while keeping the long-term emissions reduction targets unchanged, the Council announced on Monday.
Existing EU law sets CO2 emissions reduction targets for new heavy-duty vehicles — including trucks, buses and coaches — of 15% from 2025, 43% from 2030 and 90% in 2040.
Under current rules, manufacturers can earn emission credits if their overall fleet performs better than a defined “reduction trajectory”, described as a straight-line path connecting targets between five-year periods.
How the new credit rules work
Between 2025 and 2029, manufacturers will be able to accumulate credits if their emissions fall below their own specific annual CO2 targets rather than the stricter linear reduction trajectory, the Council said.
The change applies to heavy lorries over 16 tonnes and certain bus categories over 7.5 tonnes.
The updated credit calculation does not apply to urban buses, because the deployment of zero-emission buses is already well advanced and less dependent on motorway charging infrastructure.
“Clean mobility is the future of the EU but the path towards it is not always linear,” Maria Panayiotou, Cyprus’s minister for agriculture, rural development and environment, said.
The amendment gives manufacturers and investors “the flexibility and predictability they need”, while electric charging stations are deployed across Europe.
The regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force 20 days later, with the new credit-calculation rules becoming directly applicable in all EU countries.
The main rules on CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles are due for revision in 2027.
Trucks, buses and coaches represent about 2% of vehicles on EU roads but account for more than 25% of road transport greenhouse gas emissions.
