Decarbonising road transport is our shared goal, but the route to get there must be feasible for businesses. This position paper marks the supply industry’s defining contribution to the ongoing debate over the revision of the EU’s CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (Regulation (EU) 2019/631).
While firmly backing the EU’s climate neutrality targets, the paper warns that the current regulatory roadmap is colliding with market reality. A slower-than-expected electric vehicle uptake, insufficient charging infrastructure, and mounting economic pressures have triggered an acute industrial crisis. With the sector losing an average of 142 jobs per day since 2024 and 76% of suppliers operating on profit margins below 5%, the current framework risks hollowing out Europe’s industrial base. The revision represents a critical opportunity to correct course and actively support innovation, ensuring the transition is both realistic and achievable.
Europe’s transition policy must reflect how people afford and use vehicles, not only how an ideal end-state is envisioned on paper. That is why technology openness matters.
- Benjamin Krieger, CLEPA Secretary General
To bridge the gap between regulatory ambition and market reality, CLEPA’s position paper puts forward a series of actionable recommendations:
- Recognise the decarbonisation role of electric plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) and electric range extender vehicles (EREVs)
- Capitalise on the immediate emissions-saving potential of renewable fuels
- Optimise the super-credits mechanism to boost EU manufacturing and electrification
- Maximise low-carbon steel credits through early application
- Introduce a Low-Temperature BEV range to Vehicle Label to build consumer trust
