European Council adopts energy performance rules for buildings and cars

The European Council has adopted a revised directive on the energy performance of buildings, mandating all new buildings to be zero-emission buildings by 2030 and requiring that the European Union's entire building stock should be transformed into zero-emission building stock by 2050. The revised directive introduces minimum energy performance standards for non-residential buildings with maximum amounts of primary or final energy consumption per m2: in terms of energy performance, all non-residential buildings will be above the 16% worst performing buildings by 2030 and above the 26% worst performing buildings by 2033. Member States will ensure that the average primary energy use of residential buildings will be cut by 16% in 2030 and by 20-22% in 2035; at least 55% of the energy reduction will be achieved through renovation of the 43% worst performing residential buildings and financial support measures and technical assistance will be implemented, especially for vulnerable households. To improve the decarbonisation of the buildings, national renovation plans will have to include a roadmap to phase out fossil fuel boilers by 2040, and the revised directive will promote solar installations and electric vehicle recharging points in buildings. Member States will now have two years to transpose the directive into their national legislation and the directive will be reviewed by 2028.

In addition, the European Council has adopted the Euro 7 regulation, which sets up rules on emission limits for road vehicles (cars, vans and trucks) and battery durability. For cars and vans, the regulation maintains the existing Euro 6 exhaust emission limits but introduces stricter requirements for solid particles. For heavy-duty buses and trucks, it imposes more stringent limits for various pollutants, including some that had not been regulated until now (such as nitrous oxide). In addition, the Euro 7 regulation introduces stricter limits for particle emissions produced when braking, with specific limits for electric vehicles. The regulation will apply between 30 and 60 months, depending the type of vehicle concerned.