Regulation 2014/333 - Amendment of Regulation (EC) No 443/2009 to define the modalities for reaching the 2020 target to reduce CO 2 emissions from new passenger cars - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 103/15

Pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 443/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) the Commission is to review the modalities of achieving the 95 g CO2/km target by 2020 in a cost-effective manner, including the formulae set out in Annex I to that Regulation and the derogations provided for in Article 11 thereof. It is appropriate that this Regulation be as neutral as possible from the point of view of competition, socially equitable and sustainable.

The further development of the worldwide market for advanced technologies aimed at improving the efficiency of passenger cars is in line with the Commission’s Communication of 21 January 2011 entitled: ‘A resource-efficient Europe — Flagship initiative under the Europe 2020 strategy’, which supports the shift to a resource-efficient, low-carbon economy for achieving sustainable growth.

It is appropriate to clarify that, for the purpose of verifying compliance with the target of 95 g CO2/km, CO2 emissions should continue to be measured in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) and its implementing measures and innovative technologies.

High fossil fuel prices have a negative impact on economic recovery and on energy security and affordability in the Union. Increasing, therefore, the efficiency and sustainability of new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, thus reducing the dependency on oil, is a priority.

In recognition of the high research and development and unit production costs of early generations of ultra-low emission vehicles, it is appropriate to accelerate and facilitate, on an interim basis and to a limited extent, the process of their introduction into the Union market at their initial stages of commercialisation. Actors at different levels should give appropriate attention to identifying and disseminating best practices for stimulating demand for ultra-low emission vehicles.

The lack of alternative fuel infrastructure and of common technical specifications for the vehicle-infrastructure interface could be an obstacle to the market uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles. Ensuring the building-up of such infrastructure in the Union could facilitate the work of market forces and contribute to economic growth in Europe.

In recognition of the disproportionate impact on the smallest manufacturers resulting from compliance with specific emissions targets defined on the basis of the utility of the vehicle, the high administrative burden of the derogation procedure, and the marginal resulting benefit in terms of CO2 emissions reduction from the vehicles sold by those manufacturers, manufacturers responsible for fewer than 1 000 new passenger cars registered in the Union annually should be excluded from the scope of the specific emissions target and the excess emissions premium. In order to ensure from the earliest point legal certainty for those manufacturers,...