BRUSSELS — The European Commission said Monday it will change the way it calculates emissions targets for carmakers in a bid to help the deeply troubled industry.
The executive will put forward an amendment to allow the targets to be based on a three-year average instead of on this year’s sales — making it easier for the industry to hit the target without facing steep fines.
“We need predictability and fairness for those who did their homework successfully,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after her second meeting with the bloc’s biggest automakers and suppliers this year. “We have to stick to the agreed targets, but we need to listen to voices who ask for more pragmatism and technological neutrality.”
The current regulation requires carmakers to reduce their emissions by 15 percent in 2025 from a 2021 baseline or be fined €95 per gram of carbon dioxide per kilometer emitted above the target for each noncompliant vehicle sold in the bloc.
