On March 30, the Council of the European Union approved an amendment to the regulation on CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers. The new rules introduce temporary flexibility in how companies can meet their 2030 targets, while leaving the long-term framework unchanged. The move is a response to the slower-than-expected rollout of infrastructure needed for zero-emission mobility. Polish Members of the European Parliament say this is a positive signal for the automotive industry across Europe, especially in Poland.
“We first launched a broad debate, on our own initiative, to remove the bans on internal combustion cars and allow people to keep buying them after 2035. We managed to do that, so the first step has been taken. Now we are turning to trucks and, among other things, to softening a very ambitious climate policy,” Dariusz Joński, a Member of the European Parliament from Poland’s Civic Coalition, said.
EU law set the first-ever CO2 reduction targets for new heavy-duty vehicles, including trucks, buses and coaches. Compared with 2019 levels, emissions are to be reduced by 15% from 2025, 45% from 2030 and 90% from 2040. Manufacturers are expected to meet these goals by bringing more battery-electric trucks to market while also improving the fuel efficiency of combustion-engine vehicles.
Under the system, manufacturers can accumulate emission credits if their fleets perform better than the required “reduction path”, which is a linear trajectory connecting the targets for successive five-year periods. The amended rules now provide that, in the years 2025–2029, manufacturers will be able to accumulate credits if their emissions are below their specific individual target, rather than below the stricter linear reduction path. As the Council explains, this temporary flexibility is meant to help companies build up more credits before 2030 and make compliance easier once the next stage of the rules begins. It is also intended to encourage the earlier deployment of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.
“A decade ago, people believed that the decarbonisation of heavy-duty transport would move faster, that we would be able to switch from combustion trucks to electric ones. In some countries, such as Germany, special charging systems were even built above motorways so that trucks could charge while driving, without waiting during stops,” Joński said. “But we know perfectly well that more than 98% of trucks are still combustion vehicles. This process is not moving as quickly as politicians had hoped, so it makes sense to make the policy more realistic.”
According to industry data, there were around 6.2 million medium and heavy-duty vehicles above 3.5 tonnes on EU roads in 2024. Of these, 96.3% were powered by diesel engines, while only 0.3% were battery-electric.
“In heavy-duty transport, policy is now moving in the direction of moderation, or, to put it simply, back down to earth. That is a good signal for the automotive industry, including in Poland. Poland is now number one in Europe when it comes to road freight carriers,” the MEP said. “Small electric cars may work well in smaller towns and over shorter distances. But with trucks, this is not just about replacing fleets. It is also about building enormous infrastructure that simply is not ready today. That is still a matter for the future. For now, we need to protect jobs and companies.”
Data show that Poland is the EU leader in road freight transport volume. In 2024, total freight transport performance reached just over 368 billion tonne-kilometres, accounting for nearly 20% of all road freight transport in the EU. Germany followed with about 15%. Poland is also home to over 840,000 trucks, making it one of the largest fleets in Europe.
“Replacing the fleet with new vehicles that have not yet fully proven themselves would be an enormous cost for every country. In the end, many companies would go bankrupt, and we cannot allow that. The European Union sees this. That is why these changes were made, and why both the European Parliament and the European Commission agreed that the climate targets for heavy transport should be pushed further out in time,” Joński stressed.
The amendment approved by the Council is part of a broader automotive package proposed by the European Commission in December 2025 to support the sector’s competitiveness and its transition to clean mobility. The core rules on CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles are due to be reviewed in 2027.
The Council also stresses that greater flexibility does not affect the EU’s long-term clean mobility goals. Trucks, buses and coaches may account for only around 2% of the vehicles on European roads, but they are responsible for more than 25% of greenhouse gas emissions from road transport.
“At the same time, we are also discussing extending the length of trailers and semi-trailers,” the MEP added. “This is very important, because it would allow more cargo to be carried on a single trailer. In Poland, we are also expanding places where goods can be shifted from trucks to rail. One example is Karsznice in Zduńska Wola.”
The Zduńska Wola–Karsznice multimodal terminal, opened in autumn 2023, is located at the intersection of major European transport corridors linking east and west as well as north and south. It enables the handling and storage of trailers, swap bodies and containers, including both standard and hazardous cargo.
This week, the terminal was visited by a delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism. During a three-day visit to Poland, MEPs reviewed the development of multimodal transport hubs and military mobility projects. The committee is preparing for a review of the Connecting Europe Facility for 2028–2034, the EU’s main funding instrument for large cross-border transport and energy projects. A vote on the European Parliament’s draft position is expected in July 2026.
