Review of the Clean Vehicles Directive [EU Legislation in Progress]

Written by Gregor Erbach (4th edition),

In November 2017, the European Commission proposed a revision of Directive 2009/33/EC on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles (the Clean Vehicles Directive), after an evaluation showed that the directive had yielded limited results.

The proposed directive aims to promote clean mobility solutions in public procurement tenders and thereby raise the demand for, and the further deployment of, clean vehicles. The proposal provides a definition for clean light-duty vehicles based on a combined CO₂ and air-pollutant emissions threshold; for heavy-duty vehicles, it gives a definition based on alternative fuels. The proposal is in line with the European Commission’s energy union package, which plans action on the further decarbonisation of road transport in line with the 2030 climate and energy targets.

The proposal was referred to the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). A trilogue agreement was reached on 11 February 2019. The Parliament adopted the text in the April II 2019 plenary session and the Council on 13 June. The Directive was published in the Official Journal on 12 July 2019. Member States must transpose it into national law by 2 August 2021.

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‘Review of the Clean Vehicles Directive‘