Heavy-duty vehicles: Council adopts targeted flexibility for manufacturers to comply with CO2 targets
Today, the Council formally adopted a targeted amendment to the regulation on CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles. The new rules introduce a temporary flexibility for manufacturers to comply with their 2030 CO2 emissions reduction targets. The amendment does not alter the the long-term reduction targets.
This amendment recognises the structural challenges currently faced by the sector, particularly the slow deployment of public charging infrastructure along motorways. It supports a smooth and steady transition towards zero-emission mobility without altering the EU’s ambitious long-term climate targets.
Revised calculation for emission credits
The existing EU law sets the first-ever CO2 emissions reduction targets for new heavy-duty vehicles, comprising trucks, buses and coaches (set at 15% reduction from 2025, 43% from 2030, and rising to 90% in 2040). In order to prove compliance, heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers can earn emission credits if their fleet performs better than a defined ‘reduction trajectory’, which is a linear trajectory connecting targets between five-year periods.
Between 2025 and 2029, manufacturers can now accumulate credits if their emissions fall below their own specific annual CO2 emissions targets rather than the stricter linear reduction trajectory. This temporary and targeted flexibility would allow them to generate more emission credits in the years leading up to 2030 and therefore facilitate their compliance from 2030 onwards. The flexibility is intended to incentivise earlier deployment of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.
The updated credit calculation mechanism applies specifically to heavy lorries (over 16t) and certain bus categories (over 7.5t). It does not apply to urban buses, as the deployment of zero-emission buses is already well-advanced and less dependent on long-distance motorway infrastructure.
Clean mobility is the future of the EU but the path towards it is not always linear. With this timely and pragmatic amendment, we give heavy-duty vehicles manufacturers and investors the flexibility and predictability they need to navigate this transition, while electric charging stations are being deployed across Europe.
Maria Panayiotou, Minister for Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus
Next steps
The regulation will now be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force 20 days later. The new rules on calculating emission credits for heavy-duty vehicles will then become directly applicable in all EU countries. The substantial rules on CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles are due for revision in 2027.
Background
This targeted amendment is a key component of the automotive package presented by the Commission on 16 December 2025, to help the car sector in its transition to clean mobility. The Council and the European Parliament swiftly agreed to adopt the Commission proposal without further changes, ensuring regulatory certainty for the transport sector.
While trucks, buses, and coaches only represent about 2% of vehicles on EU roads, they are responsible for more than 25% of road transport greenhouse gas emissions