The European Commission has proposed a combination of measures required to tackle rising emissions in road transport to complement emissions trading.

To help make the EU's climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 per cent by 2030, the EU says that stronger CO2 emissions standards for cars and vans will accelerate the transition to zero-emission mobility by requiring average emissions of new cars to come down by 55 per cent from 2030 and 100 per cent from 2035 compared to 2021 levels.

As a result, all new cars registered as of 2035 will be zero-emission. To ensure that drivers are able to charge or fuel their vehicles at a reliable network across Europe, the revised Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation will require Member States to expand charging capacity in line with zero-emission car sales, and to install charging and fuelling points at regular intervals on major highways: every 60 kilometres for electric charging and every 150 kilometres for hydrogen refuelling.

Transport is the only sector where greenhouse gas emissions have been on the rise. The emissions from road transport are no exception, representing almost 20 per cent of total EU GHG emissions and have significantly increased since 1990.

The proposal serves three specific objectives. The first is to contribute to the 2030 and 2050 climate objectives by reducing CO2 emissions from cars and light commercial vehicles. The second specific objective is to provide benefits to consumers and citizens from a wider deployment of zero-emission vehicles. The third specific objective is to stimulate innovation in zero-emission technologies, thus strengthening the technological leadership of the automotive value chain and stimulating employment  in  the EU.