Source: European Parliament
Delivering on the EU’s net greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 and the climate neutrality target by 2050, enshrined in the European Climate Law[1], call for ambitious policies and action to ensure a swift and sufficient decrease in emissions from all sectors, including transport.
This transition will also contribute to reducing Europe’s reliance on imported fossil fuels. The transport sector needs to contribute to such objectives with a reduction of 90% of its emissions by 2050.
Concerning certain fuel additives, which might have combustion enhancing properties, they would not be able to deliver the necessary emissions reductions.
The Fuel Quality Directive[2] (FQD) aims to ensure a single market for fuels used in the European Union for both road vehicles and non-road mobile machinery, as well as a high level of environmental and health protection in the use of those fuels.
The FQD regulates requirements for fuels by setting limitations in Articles 3 and 4 and corresponding Annexes I and II for certain parameters and chemical compounds, without any other restriction to the chemical composition of fuels.
The Commission conducted a technical study[3] in 2023, which did not identify a need for regulatory changes as regards additives.
Finally, the Commission fosters innovation through a broad range of financial and regulatory means aimed at advancing zero-emission mobility and the decarbonisation of transport fuels and energy sources, such as the Renewable Energy Directive[4].
- [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020PC0080.
- [2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:01998L0070-20181224&from=EN.
- [3] https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/0dd983bf-ee82-11eb-a71c-01aa75ed71a1/language-en.
- [4] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/2413/oj/eng.