Directive 2019/1161 - Amendment of Directive 2009/33/EC on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 188/116

In accordance with the conclusions of the European Council of 23-24 October 2014, the Union is committed to a sustainable, competitive, secure and decarbonised energy system. The Commission's Communication of 22 January 2014 entitled ‘A policy framework for climate and energy for the period from 2020 to 2030’ establishes ambitious commitments for the Union to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 % by 2030 as compared to 1990 levels, to increase the proportion of renewable energy consumed to at least 27 %, to make energy savings of at least 27 %, and to improve the Union's energy security, competitiveness and sustainability. Since then, Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) set a share of energy from renewable sources of at least 32 % of the Union's gross final consumption of energy by 2030, and Directive (EU) 2018/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5) set a new energy efficiency target for the Union by 2030 of at least 32,5 %.

In its Communication of 20 July 2016 entitled ‘A European Strategy for Low-Emission Mobility’ the Commission announced that in order to meet the Union's commitments pledged at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Paris in 2015, the decarbonisation of the transport sector must be accelerated and that therefore greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutant emissions from transport will need to be firmly on the path towards zero by mid-century. Moreover, emissions of air pollutants from transport that are harmful to health and the environment need to be significantly reduced without delay. That can be achieved by an array of policy initiatives, including measures that support a shift towards public transport and the use of public procurement to promote clean vehicles.

In its Communication of 31 May 2017 entitled ‘Europe on the Move: an agenda for a socially fair transition towards clean, competitive and connected mobility for all’ the Commission underlines that increased production and uptake of clean vehicles, alternative fuels infrastructure and new mobility services which take advantage of digitalisation and automation in the Union offer multiple benefits to Union citizens, Member States and industries. Those benefits include safer and seamless mobility solutions and the reduction of exposure to harmful pollutant emissions. Furthermore, as stated in the State of the Union address of 13 September 2017, one of the main objectives for the Union is to become a world leader in decarbonisation.

As was announced in the Commission's Communication ‘Europe on the Move’, this Directive forms part of a second package of proposals, which will contribute to the Union's drive towards low-emission mobility. That package, which was presented in the Commission's Communication of 8 November 2017 entitled ‘Delivering on low-emission mobility — A European Union that protects the planet, empowers its consumers, and defends its industry and...