After Germany blocked 100% electric in 2035, Matteo Salvini, Italy's Minister of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility, is firmly determined to block – at least in its current form – the Euro7 standard, which Europe intends to impose on cars and vans from July 2025. His argument? This standard is rushed, too costly, and even unnecessary (or even counterproductive) from an environmental point of view. Let's decrypt.

2,000 euros more

As for the rush, it is true that Europe, caught up in the Covid crisis, has been enormously late in publishing the draft law establishing these standards, which in principle leaves very little time (less than two years) for manufacturers to adapt. Then comes the expensive aspect. As the Euro7 standard aims (among other things) to further reduce emissions from combustion engines, adapting the current engines, which are already very efficient, would require huge investments, while brands are already spending heavily on electrification. Double effect: the least profitable cars (the smallest, therefore the cheapest) will be condemned by this Euro7 standard, and the others will see their price increase by 2,000 euros on average, as we said a few days ago.

Here we are on the environmental side. Not only is the reduction in emissions dictated by the Euro7 standard anecdotal, but seeing the disappearance of the cheapest cars would have a counterproductive effect on the market. Indeed, the customers of this type of vehicle do not have the means to switch to the electric car, and the reflex will therefore be to keep an old (and more polluting) car longer, rather than buying a new Euro7 car.

A minority ready to block

According to Salvini, countries that share the same vision as Italy (France, Czechia, Romania, Portugal, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary) already constitute a sufficient minority to block the Euro7 standard. And he hopes that other countries will be added to compose a majority. One thing is certain, the negotiations of this law are likely to be turbulent. To be continued...

  • Car
  • Matteo Salvini
  • Italy
  • CO2
  • Energy transition
  • European Commission