The European Commission has put forward a proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council, which seeks to promote clean vehicles in public procurement. The objective is a good one, but the definition of clean vehicles in the proposal is inadequate.

 The targets set are very ambitious and in some respects unrealistic due to cost implications.  In my own province of Etelä-Karjala (Finland), this would translate into a more limited provision of public transport as well as higher prices, while at the same time lowering local people's interest in using public transport. Under the proposal, over one third of minibuses and small buses used by municipalities should be hydrogen and electricity-powered by 2025. This target is unrealistic.

Also problematic is the definition of clean vehicles in the proposal.

According to the proposed directive, in the procurement process only CO2 emissions produced when vehicles are in use (tank-to-wheels) will be taken into account, and not life-cycle impacts (well-to-wheels). At the same time, this will exclude vehicles using sustainably produced fuels from the definition of clean vehicles. The Commission's objective has been to increase biogas and the number of vehicles using other biofuels. The proposal is at odds with previous objectives and will not produce an end result that is positive for the economy or the environment.

As a result of its explicit requirements, the proposed directive also infringes the principle of EU subsidiarity.

 By Ilpo Heltimoinen (Member of Lappeenranta City Council in Finland)