News in cooperation with eceee.org

Euro 7: Carmakers’ record profits made at expense of human health

(Transport and Environment, 19 Apr 2023) A new T&E report debunks manufacturers’ claims that Euro 7 air pollution rules are too expensive.

Air pollution from road transport continues to be a serious problem for air quality across Europe, causing 70,000 premature deaths each year and a multitude of diseases including cancer, stroke and cardiovascular disease. To tackle the problem the European Commission proposed a new pollutant emission standard for cars, vans, buses and trucks known as Euro 7 in November 2022.  

Independent analysis by experts showed that significantly lower emission limits are feasible and affordable, but due to industry lobbying the final proposals require carmakers to do little to reduce the toxic pollution coming from sales of new internal combustion engine cars.

Yet carmakers continue to fiercely oppose even the current weak Euro 7 proposals, claiming that  compliance with Euro 7 is too expensive and will result in fewer car sales, damaging the European automotive industry at a time when the industry is already struggling due to supply chain issues and rising costs. Yet, European carmakers have a long history of exaggerating the cost of less polluting cars, using scaremongering tactics on policymakers to weaken environmental regulation ever since the Euro standards in the 1990s.

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Transport and Environment, 19 Apr 2023: Euro 7: Carmakers’ record profits made at expense of human health