The 2035 emissions target loses ambition in a proposal backed by the right, social democrats and liberals: industry celebrates flexibility while Transport & Environment warns of the risk of falling behind China.
The emissions target for 2035 faces a cut that weakens the climate ambition of European cars. The Environment Committee of the European Parliament backs a reduced requirement for new passenger cars and vans, while the PPE cheers a victory for combustion engines.
The vote passed with 48 votes in favor, 30 against and two abstentions. The agreement among conservatives, social democrats and liberals needs to pass in plenary and be negotiated with the European governments. It does not by itself modify the current legislation.
The rollback proposed is concrete: less mandatory CO2 reductions and more flexibility mechanisms. The industry calls for certainty, but policymakers will have to explain what security they offer to those who have invested in electrification and how they will protect the climate commitments that they now seek to soften.
From 100% to 87.5%: ambition scaled back in numbers
The 2035 emissions target for passenger cars would move from 100% to an 87.5% reduction of the average emissions of each manufacturer relative to 2021. The position includes credits for low-carbon steel produced in the EU to complete a reduction of 95%.
That mechanism blends requirements for vehicles with credits linked to industrial materials. The improvement of steel deserves momentum, but it requires rigorous accounting. Credits must not be presented as if they physically eliminate the emissions from the exhaust of every car still using combustion.
For vans, the proposal reduces the 2030 requirement to 35%, compared with the current 50%, and sets 80% for 2035 instead of 100%.
The 2035 emissions target would even fall below the 90% proposed by the European Commission in December 2025 for passenger cars. The procedure remains open: the plenary would likely vote in December and the Council still has to set its position.
The industry celebrates flexibility while environmentalists question the course
The PPE presents the outcome as an industrial victory. The rapporteur Massimiliano Salini defends fair conditions and the capacity for innovation for manufacturers. That argument must confront a political question: whether changing the rules mid-transformation strengthens or undermines investor confidence.
ACEA sees the position as a step toward a more pragmatic and technologically neutral framework, though it judges the flexibility for passenger cars insufficient. Its assessment reflects legitimate business interests, but does not by itself demonstrate a climate benefit.
Transport & Environment warns that extending the commitment to combustion could undermine competitiveness against China. Its Automotive director, Lucien Mathieu, questions that strategy. The industry debate is not only about jobs and constraints: it also concerns who will develop the technologies that will dominate the market.
The 2035 emissions target would include bonuses for small and efficient electric vehicles produced in Europe. It also proposes considering zero-emission vehicles that use exclusively certain renewable and low-carbon fuels. A favorable legal category does not mean the physical absence of CO2 in the exhaust.
Corporate fleets: indicative targets for a decisive market
In another vote, the Environment and Transport committees backed by 89 votes in favor, 29 against and four abstentions to promote zero- or low-emission vehicles in corporate fleets. The proposed national targets would be indicative, not mandatory: a crucial difference for assessing their capacity to transform.
The proposal would affect companies with more than 250 employees and turnover above 50 million euros. It proposes national targets between 67% and 95% for 2030 and 2035, depending on the case. From 2028 it would limit public support to clean vehicles manufactured in the EU.
These fleets account for 58% of passenger cars and 90% of new vans, and they typically drive the second-hand market after three or four years. Their transformation matters to broaden alternatives. Weakening the 2035 emissions target requires explaining its consequences for that market.
A figure challenges the stagnation narrative: T&E tallies 1.64 million battery-electric vehicles sold between January and August 2026, up 45% year on year. It represents growth, not a stopped transition. Lowering the 2035 emissions target could give air to combustion; lawmakers will have to answer for the climate ambition they are sacrificing.
