Italian Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said on Tuesday that Italy and its European Union allies could block Euro 7 emissions rules due to come into force in 2025 that would tighten restrictions on harmful emissions.

EU member states and MEPs are due to discuss proposed legislation this year to regulate emissions from cars and vans from July 2025, followed by buses and trucks from 2027.

On Tuesday, Salvini said the Euro 7 rules were “clearly wrong” and would also not help the environment.

“Italy, together with France, the Czech Republic, Romania, Portugal, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary, have enough power to block this leap into nothingness,” he said at an automotive conference in Verona.

“Now we are a blocking minority, we want to become a majority,” he added.

European carmakers have announced their opposition to the Euro 7 rules, saying they would be too expensive, unnecessary and rushed. Representatives of Skoda have already stated that they will have to abandon several popular models if Euro-7 standards are adopted in the strictest version.

Instead, the EU argues that the health benefits will far outweigh the costs.

Strengthening opposition to the adoption of Euro-7 standards

Carbon emissions legislation, the EU’s main tool for speeding up Europe’s transition to electric cars, was suspended in March after last-minute opposition from Germany.

This surprised politicians in Brussels and other member states, as EU countries and the European Parliament had already agreed on the law last year.

Analysts say it now seems unlikely that the Euro 7 rules could apply from 2025, given the controversy surrounding them and opposition from the car sector, which has a large influence on governments and lobbies.

There are also influential voices in the automotive world who have said that there is no point in introducing these Euro 7 norms, given that the ranges will be electrified by 2035 anyway.

PHOTO article: Sebastiangh, Dreamstime.com.