Illustrative photo – Prime Minister Petr Fiala (left) visited the Minister for European Affairs Mikuláš Bek (right), February 28, 2023, Prague, as part of his balance visits.
Prague – Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) is convinced that it is possible to modify the Euro 7 automobile emission standard so that it is more realistic and does not have so many negative impacts. According to the Prime Minister, there are signs that the countries of the European Union are ready for this. He stated this at today's press conference after a balance visit to the Minister for European Affairs Mikuláš Bek (STAN). In addition to the government, MPs and senators also have reservations about the proposal.
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Among other things, Euro 7 is supposed to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emitted into the air, thereby preventing a number of related premature deaths, according to the commission. The aim is also to harmonize the limits for petrol and diesel cars. Vehicles will have to comply with it for twice as long as the current standards, and in addition to exhausts, it will also apply to brakes and tires. In addition, the cars should have sensors that will allow emissions to be checked at any time.
If the rules are approved by the member states and the European Parliament, they should apply to new passenger cars from mid-2025, for trucks two years later.
However, car manufacturers and the governments of some countries have criticized the rules, which will production costs at a time when car companies began to develop electric cars on a large scale due to the impending ban on the production of cars with classic combustion engines. The commission estimates that the standard will affect the price of new cars in the order of thousands of crowns, manufacturers are talking about tens of thousands.
Minister of Transport Martin Kupka (ODS) recently discussed Czech reservations to the standard with European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton. According to Kupka, the European Commission is aware of the Czech Republic's comments on the proposal, the form of which it proposed in November.
“The situation is much different than it was with the ban on internal combustion engines, because on the one hand there is growing doubt about the correctness of the standard in this form in a number of member states, but on the other hand, in this case, the European automotive industry itself raises a number of objections,” said Fiala.
According to the Prime Minister, a number of European countries are ready to reach into the original proposal and modify it so that it is more realistic and had less social and economic impact. According to him, the Czech Republic is not ready to agree to the standard in its current form, but wants to participate in its modification.
The European Commission emphasizes in the draft of the new regulation that air pollution in Europe continues to pose a great risk to the environment and health. It is estimated that in 2018, air pollution caused more than 300,000 premature deaths in the then 28 EU member states, according to its material.
