The European Council has adopted new CO2 emission standards for trucks in the European Union (EU) for the period after 2020. Under the new rules, CO2 emissions from new trucks will have to be 15% lower in 2025 and 30% lower in 2030, compared to the 2019 emissions. With this final agreement, the regulation will enter into force on the 20th day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
The transportation sector currently produces a quarter of the EU carbon emissions and is the only area in which they are still growing, unlike the recent trends in the agriculture and power sectors. Tackling emissions from road transport is a key measure of the EU's efforts to reach its objective of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. More specifically, trucks account for approximately 5% of the vehicle park on EU roads but generate about 27% of road transport CO2 emissions and almost 5% of EU greenhouse gas emissions, which means that they will be a key target of the sector's carbon reduction efforts.