EU regulations target vehicle circularity and air quality standards

New European Union regulations are set to impact the automotive sector through stricter environmental and air quality standards. Following the implementation of the EU vehicle regulation, the German Environmental Aid (Deutsche Umwelthilfe) is calling for national governments to utilize legal leeway to promote a circular economy. The organization argues that current mandates for vehicle design and recycling do not sufficiently address issues such as increasing vehicle size, carbon footprints, and repairability. They suggest that manufacturers of oversized, resource-intensive vehicles should pay higher contributions and that consumers should have a legal right to use used spare parts for repairs.

Separately, the revised EU Air Quality Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/2881) will introduce significantly stricter limit values starting January 1, 2030, based on World Health Organization recommendations. Experts warn that this could lead to a new wave of driving bans, potentially affecting millions of Euro 5 and Euro 6 diesel vehicles. While modern diesel engines emit very low levels of pollutants, the new thresholds may force municipalities to implement traffic restrictions to meet air quality targets. The German Environment Agency and the European Environment Agency anticipate that many monitoring stations will initially exceed these new limits.