Rethinking EU Clean Vehicles Rules: Why CEMR Calls for Flexibility, Funding, and Local Autonomy
With road transport accounting for nearly a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, the EU is pushing for cleaner mobility solutions across all sectors. But in its current form, the proposed revision of the Clean Vehicles Directive could undermine the very public transport systems it aims to green. The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) raises serious concerns about the directive’s scope, rigid procurement quotas, and potential to impose disproportionate costs on local and regional governments.
Rather than empowering local authorities, the directive risks creating new financial burdens, administrative complexity, and counterproductive outcomes, such as reduced services or higher fares that could drive citizens away from public transport.
Key messages include:
- Public authorities are not the problem. Local public transport is already among the cleanest transport modes. Efforts must focus more on vehicle manufacturers and private transport operators, not just municipalities.
- Procurement must remain flexible. While green public procurement should be encouraged, mandatory environmental or social criteria for public contracts would conflict with the subsidiarity principle and public procurement law. Local governments must retain the freedom to balance cost, service needs, and environmental goals.
- Technology neutrality is essential. The directive should avoid favouring specific technologies. Instead, a life-cycle emissions approach should guide definitions of “clean vehicles,” including real-driving emissions and biofuels. Special-purpose vehicles such as snow ploughs and waste trucks should be excluded.
- Quotas may backfire. Mandatory targets for clean vehicle procurement risk creating a vicious cycle: higher costs for local authorities may lead to service cuts, higher fares, and reduced public transport use, ultimately undermining climate goals.
- Funding must follow ambition. The transition to cleaner fleets requires substantial investment. CEMR calls for EU support, including a “golden rule” exempting public transport investment from Maastricht deficit rules, and more targeted funding.
- Reporting must be simplified. New national-level monitoring and reporting rules must not overload the over 100,000 local authorities across the EU. CEMR urges a streamlined, risk-based approach to limit bureaucracy.
Ultimately, CEMR opposes the directive in its current form and urges amendments that respect local autonomy, enable cost-effective transition, and support sustainable transport without penalising the public sector already leading the way.
For more information, contact:
Advisor – Environment and mobility
