European Parliament delays a key 'Automotive Package' vote by about two weeks: what changes for the 2035 target, company fleets and small EVs
The European Parliament's transport committee has postponed its October 5 vote on relaxing the 2035 CO2 target for cars. What the package contains (90% instead of 100%, super-credits for small EVs, targets for large companies' fleets), who decides and when, and what it could mean for buyers and businesses in Romania.
An important vote for the future of new cars in Europe has been postponed. The European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) was due to vote on October 5 on its position on the European Commission's "Automotive Package", which relaxes the zero-emission target for new cars from 2035. According to Der Spiegel, citing the office of German MEP Jens Gieseke (EPP) and a spokesperson for the EPP group, the vote has been pushed back by about two weeks. Centrist parties need more time to reach a compromise. Deutschlandfunk speaks of a delay of "several weeks".
A clarification: who actually decides
The postponed vote isn't the final decision, or even Parliament's main vote. According to the Parliament's Legislative Observatory, for the revision of CO2 standards for cars and vans (procedure 2025/0420(COD)):
- the lead committee is ENVI (environment), with rapporteur Massimiliano Salini (EPP, Italy);
- TRAN (transport) and ITRE (industry) only give opinions. Jens Gieseke is rapporteur for TRAN's opinion, and Matej Tonin for ITRE's.
The TRAN opinion matters politically because it shows whether a majority can be built. The law itself, though, goes through ENVI, then Parliament's plenary and the Council of the EU (the member states).
What's in the "Automotive Package"
The European Commission presented the package on December 16, 2025. The main pieces:
1. Revised CO2 standards for cars and vans - From 2035, carmakers would have to cut the average emissions of new cars by 90% compared with 2021, not 100%. The remaining 10% would have to be offset with low-carbon steel made in the EU or with synthetic fuels (e-fuels) and biofuels. According to electrive, up to 7 percentage points can come from steel and up to 3 from fuels. - In practice, plug-in hybrids, range-extender cars and even petrol- or diesel-only cars could still be sold after 2035, within the fleet target. According to electrive, the Commission expects 27–29% of new registrations after 2035 to still have a combustion engine. - Super-credits for small EVs: EU-made electric cars up to 4.2 m long would count for more in a carmaker's average emissions (1.3 times, according to electrive). That's meant to encourage small, affordable electric models. - More flexibility for 2030: the target could be met on average over 2030–2032 rather than year by year. For vans, the 2030 target drops from 50% to 40%.
2. The Clean Corporate Vehicles regulation (company fleets) The Commission says company cars make up about 60% of new car registrations in the EU and up to 90% of van registrations. The proposal would require member states to ensure that, from 2030, a set share of new cars and vans registered by large companies is zero- or low-emission, with a separate sub-target for zero-emission vehicles. Targets differ by country, and each state chooses its own measures to meet them. According to Leaseurope, from 2028 states could only subsidise company cars that are low- or zero-emission and made in the EU.
3. The rest of the package: a €1.8 billion "Battery Booster" for Europe's battery industry (including €1.5 billion in interest-free loans), a new type-approval category for small electric cars (M1E), and red-tape cuts the Commission puts at about €706 million a year.
What's at stake
The EPP, Parliament's largest group, wants to loosen the rules further than the Commission proposes, according to Der Spiegel and Deutschlandfunk. But it doesn't yet have a majority with the Social Democrats and Liberals, hence the delay. Among member states, countries such as Spain, France, Denmark and Belgium want more ambitious electrification, according to electrive. So the compromise is being negotiated between those who want more room for combustion engines and those who want to keep the pressure on electrification.
For context: Parliament originally voted for the de facto end of new emitting cars from 2035 on February 14, 2023, by 340 votes to 279.
The timeline
| Step | When |
|---|---|
| TRAN opinion vote | postponed from October 5 by about two weeks (Der Spiegel) |
| European Parliament plenary vote | expected November 23, 2026 (EP Legislative Train) |
| Council of the EU position (general approach) | expected December 11, 2026 (EP Legislative Train) |
| Final Parliament–Council–Commission negotiations (trilogue) | once both institutions have a position |
Adoption requires a simple majority in Parliament and a qualified majority in the Council: at least 15 countries representing at least 65% of the EU population. Nothing is final until the trilogue ends. The current 100% target for 2035 remains the law until an amendment is adopted.
The Romanian angle
Company fleets. The annex to the corporate vehicles proposal, published by the Council of the EU, puts Romania in the group with the lowest targets, along with Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal and others:
| Romania (large companies) | From 2030 | From 2035 |
|---|---|---|
| New cars: zero- + low-emission | 48% | 67% |
| of which at least zero-emission | 31% | 56% |
| New vans: zero- + low-emission | 28% | 67% |
| of which at least zero-emission | 25% | 56% |
For comparison, Germany would have 83% and 54% from 2030, and Belgium, the Netherlands or Sweden 90% and 58%.
What this could mean (our inferences, not provisions of the law):
- For large companies in Romania, if the proposal passes as drafted, the Romanian state would need measures (tax or otherwise) so that, from 2030, almost half of their new cars are electric or low-emission, and almost a third fully electric. What those measures would look like is still unknown.
- For private buyers, the effect would be mostly indirect: more ex-fleet EVs on the used market a few years later.
- Combustion engines after 2035: if the relaxation passes, Romanian buyers could still find new combustion cars after 2035. We don't know at what price, though, since carmakers would have to offset emissions with "green" steel or synthetic fuels.
- Small EVs: super-credits for EU-made models under 4.2 m could bring more small, affordable EVs. For Romania's price-sensitive market, that would be good news.
Meanwhile, national rules are already changing. For example, since October 1 electric cars pay a 228 lei road vignette, covered in our article on the new vignette. For charging infrastructure, see the €49.5 million e-Mobility RO call.
What it means for drivers
- Nothing changes today. The delay concerns an opinion, not the final law. The 100% target for 2035 remains in force until an amendment is adopted.
- Dates to watch: the rescheduled TRAN vote (second half of October), the November 23 plenary and the member states' position on December 11.
- If you run a company fleet, keep an eye on the national targets for company cars. If they pass, Romania would have to turn them into concrete measures by 2030.
