Minister of Transport Martin Kupka spoke at a press conference before his departure to Strasbourg, where he will negotiate with departmental counterparts on changing the Euro 7 standard, March 13, 2023, Prague.
Prague – According to Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka, the Euro 7 emission standard is unrealistic and potentially harmful to the environment in some European countries, including the Czech Republic. The minister said this in Strasbourg after meeting with his counterparts from seven European Union countries.
Advertisement'; }
Kupka met in France with the transport ministers of Germany, Italy and Poland, representatives of Slovakia, Romania, Portugal and Hungary also joined the meeting remotely. Among the main opponents of the Euro 7/VII proposal are Italy and Germany, where, just like in the Czech Republic, the automotive industry is an important part of the economy.
According to Kupka, the Euro 7 standard could harm the environment, as in countries like the Czech Republic “it would contribute to the aging of the car fleet on the streets” and threaten the investments of car companies in alternative drives. According to Kupka, Euro 7 would make new vehicles more expensive and make people drive longer in older cars, which are more harmful to the environment.
“We want to bring some common sense to (the regulation). We initiated today's first meeting as the Czech Republic, our reasons are well-founded and we are ready to continue to play an active role,” said Kupka. He added that a coalition of like-minded states will prepare a document with the main comments in the coming days, which they will present to the European Commission (EC) and other EU states.
The Euro 7 emission standard, which was proposed by the EC, is intended, among other things, to limit emissions of nitrogen oxides and solid particles released into the air, not only from exhausts, but also from brakes and tires. 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 existing standards. In addition, the cars should have sensors that allow emissions to be checked at any time. If the rules are approved by member states and the European Parliament (EP), they should apply to new passenger cars from mid-2025, for trucks two years later.
Kupka said today that he hopes not only to change the “unrealistic requirements” that Euro 7 would impose on the automotive industry next month, but also to postpone the start of the standard's validity by at least four years. The rapporteur for Euro 7 for the EP is Czech MEP Alexandr Vondra from the European Conservatives and Reformists faction. He said today that the negotiations are only at the beginning and that he is sure that the changes will be successful.
In a statement today, MEP Ondřej Kovařík (Renew Europe) also described Euro 7 as “bad and unrealistic”. “The scope of the requirements will have a negative impact on the future of the automotive industry not only in the Czech Republic, but also negative economic and social impacts,” said Kovařík, who works as a shadow rapporteur in the EP's transport committee.
EC within the so-called Greens agreement (Green Deal) seeks to reduce the emissions of new cars by 55 percent by 2030. According to the EC, road transport is the largest source of air pollution in cities and according to estimates caused the premature death of up to 70,000 people in the EU in 2018.
At the same time, Euro 6 has been the standard in force since 2014. In addition to further reducing carbon monoxide emission limits, it for example introduced exhaust gas recirculation and the AdBlue system for diesel cars, which injects urea into the flue gas to neutralize nitrogen oxides.
