Don't make cars more expensive

The EPP Group wants everyone to drive cleaner cars, vans, buses and lorries, but cautions to remain realistic. "We must not over-burden manufacturers and consumers alike. We must not make cars more expensive!", said Jens Gieseke MEP, the EPP Group negotiator on 'Euro 7', new rules aimed at cutting both exhaust and non-exhaust emissions from road vehicles.

The EPP Group will vote according to this line when Parliament‘s Environment Committee votes later today on the new law.

"Only this year, the Greens and Socialists in the European Parliament had successfully pushed for a ban on new combustion engine cars by 2035. Now, with the 'Euro 7' rules, they want to force car manufacturers to again invest in combustion engines. This is nonsense. It drives the price of cars up and directs investments into soon-to-be banned technologies", Gieseke explained.

The EPP Group urges for a more realistic approach, with rules that can actually be maintained. These rules include well-established testing procedures while tightening the ambition of exhaust limit values. "With our proposal, we get both. We are improving air quality but also giving industry room to breathe. With this, we will ensure competitiveness and jobs in the EU", concluded Gieseke.

After today’s vote in the Environment Committee, the plenary of the European Parliament is expected to vote on the law in November.