Statement on the CO2 Standards ahead of the Strategic Dialogue with automotive industry

The members of the Platform for Electromobility reaffirm their strong support for the 2035 zero-emission targets for cars and vans, as adopted in 2023, ahead of the Strategic Dialogue with the automotive industry of the 12 September 2025 which might cover this legislation. We call for their persistent, robust and timely implementation for both Europe’s competitiveness in global competition and Europeans’ access to clean transport solutions.

Electrification is a global race. Europe cannot afford to fall behind. A clear and consistent regulatory path is vital to maintaining the competitiveness of Europe’s automotive industry and whole electromobility value chain, ensuring its ability to export high-value, future-proof technologies in a rapidly evolving global market.

A stable and effective regulatory framework is essential.

Europe’s clean tech industrial development needs long-term legal certainty. The current CO₂ Standards for cars and vans are not only instrumental in driving down emissions in line with climate targets, they also represent a cornerstone of the EU’s industrial policy. Stability in legislation is key to attract investment in the scale-up of clean technologies, the creation and expansion of manufacturing capacity, and the reskilling and upskilling of Europe’s workforce. Let’s not send a counterproductive signal to markets and investors at a critical time for Europe’s competitiveness.

Building a zero-emission transport system will require smart and diversified use of multiple transport modes. An unstable regulatory framework hampers long-term investment in multimodal solutions and infrastructure. Clear and ambitious targets provide certainty for investors and industry, helping the automotive and e-mobility value chain to plan ahead, scale production, and remain globally competitive while the transition to clean transport is accelerating worldwide.

BEVs are the driver of efficient and competitive decarbonisation.

Electric vehicles are the most energy-efficient individual transport mode. Energy efficiency in transport should be a central pillar of the EU’s energy transition, as it strengthens energy security, cuts costs for businesses and citizens, and reduces pressure on renewable energy deployment compared to alternative fuels solutions.

We strongly urge European lawmakers to reject the introduction of alternative fuels for cars and vans due to their inefficiency, high costs, and negative impact on industrial competitiveness, consumer protection, and air quality.

Let’s stay focused on the enablers of electrification.

Today, European policy should focus on the key drivers of electrification, rather than weakening existing legislation. These include: an ambitious Clean Corporate Fleet Regulation to be proposed later this year, which can further stimulate demand and set clear signals to the market; the implementation of AFIR as a key enablers for EV uptake for European consumers the mobilisation of EU funds to finance demand-side support mechanisms in Member States; coordination between automotive  and energy sectors; and a broader policy framework to ensure affordable and clean energy for industries and consumers alike. On the production side, fostering innovation through smart regulation streamlining and setting the conditions to produce in Europe efficient and affordable EVs (such as by incentivising battery cells/modules made in Europe by rewarding each kWh produced) is key to powering the continent’s EV shift.

We trust that the Strategic Dialogue will serve to reinforce confidence in the EU’s regulatory direction and to support the full deployment of zero-emission mobility across the Union. The Dialogue is an opportunity to solve the genuine challenges our members face on the road to the 2035 target and to explore how to best seize the opportunities it offers.