European cities and regions urge EU policymakers to preserve ambition in CO₂ standards for cars and vans
In a joint letter addressed to members of the European Parliament, local and regional authorities express deep concern over the European Commission’s December 2025 proposal to revise the previously agreed CO2 standards for cars and vans.
Lowering ambition would undermine climate action, create regulatory uncertainty, and put at risk significant public and private investments already made at the local and regional level. Cities and regions depend on a stable, evidence-based EU framework to deliver clean air, climate protection, and long-term policy certainty. Any step back from the agreed 2035 phase-out of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles would set a dangerous precedent and weaken the EU’s credibility on climate leadership.
Ensuring regulatory coherence and long-term certainty
While acknowledging the complex industrial and geopolitical context, POLIS, Eurocities, ICLEI Europe, C40 Cities Europe call on the European Parliament to safeguard two core pillars of the legislation: preserving the 90% CO₂ standards reduction target for cars by 2035, in line with the European Green Deal and the Paris Agreement, and maintaining a full phase-out of ICE vehicles, without loopholes.
The networks also urge EU institutions to guarantee regulatory coherence and avoid any net loss in emissions reductions. If adjustments to the CO₂ standards are introduced, the Euro 7 framework must be reinforced through robust implementing acts to ensure real-world emissions compliance and provide technical clarity, particularly for the deployment and local enforcement of geofenced hybrid vehicles.
In addition, no changes should blur the definition of zero-emission vehicles or weaken the clarity of the ICE phase-out timeline. To provide a strong and credible investment signal, the letter calls for a clear long-term pathway towards a 100% CO₂ reduction target for cars by 2040.
Public funding must prioritise zero-emission solutions
The networks further call on the European Commission and Member States to secure dedicated public funding exclusively for zero-emission vehicle technologies and related infrastructure. Scarce public resources should not be directed towards synthetic fuels or other non-zero-emission technologies for light-duty vehicles, but prioritised where they deliver tangible climate and public health benefits.
Cities and regions ready to engage
As front-line actors in the mobility transition, European cities and regions reaffirm their commitment to a pragmatic, ambitious, and socially equitable pathway to climate neutrality. They stand ready to engage constructively with the European Parliament and the Council as negotiations progress.
At stake is not only regulatory consistency, but the credibility of Europe’s climate trajectory and the effectiveness of local action already underway.
