Transport ministers from eight EU member states, including Romania, discussed on Monday their efforts to define changes to the limits proposed by the European Union for vehicle emissions within the Euro-7 norms, Reuters reported.

In addition to Romania, this initiative is supported by the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Hungary and Slovakia.

The legislative proposal called “Euro 7”, negotiations on which EU countries and MEPs will begin this year, provides for strengthening the limits of pollutant emissions harmful to health, in particular nitrogen oxides. The EU says the health benefits will far outweigh the costs. But those countries oppose the proposed rules, which they say are burdensome for the industry. Most of them have large automotive manufacturing sectors, Reuters notes.

An EU official said ministers discussed the law’s “unrealistic” timelines and challenges related to enforcement equipment on Monday.

“Our efforts are aimed at making these conditions really realistic in the Euro-7 area, making them achievable,” Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka said in a telephone interview with Reuters after a meeting in Strasbourg that he convened. .

The Czech Republic states that the countries gathered by it have reservations about the deadline for the adoption of Euro-7 norms, which it considers too short. The Commission proposed that Euro-7 should enter into force in mid-2025 for passenger cars.

The Czech Republic is proposing a four-year period for the rule to enter into force, along with some technical amendments, to give industry time to prepare and stimulate technological measures.

“If we’re really serious about making Europe more carbon neutral, I think that really means putting in place technologically realistic measures,” Kupka said.

The eight countries also discussed a separate dispute over the European bloc’s 2035 deadline for phasing out CO2-emitting cars, which would effectively make it impossible to sell new cars with internal combustion engines after 2035.

Carbon legislation, the EU’s main tool to speed up Europe’s transition to electric cars, was suspended this month 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.

Germany, backed by countries such as Italy and the Czech Republic, wants clearer guarantees that new cars with internal combustion engines can still be sold after 2035 as long as they run on CO2-neutral fuel.

Other countries have different caveats. Poland, for example, said its opposition was “much broader” than just the types of fuel that could be used after 2035. Warsaw believes the proposal would make internal combustion engines more expensive for consumers.

The EU says the 2035 date is crucial because the average lifespan of new cars is 15 years, so a later ban would prevent the EU from reaching net zero emissions by 2050, a global milestone that scientists believe will avoid catastrophic climate change.

Transport accounts for about a quarter of EU emissions.

And the European automobile industry is lobbying for the weakening of EU legislation. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said on Monday that he believed Berlin was “taking appropriate measures” to ensure that after 2035, the greener fuel could be used in new cars with internal combustion engines.

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