Mihnea Catuti, Energy Policy Group (EPG): “A carbon price might be introduced in the mobility sector in 2027”

“The decarbonization of transport was not a priority for Romania until now, but things are starting to change. We looked first at the decarbonization of the electricity production sector. Second, we looked at industry and industrial production, but we are now starting to look at transport, which is responsible for a quarter of CO2 emissions in the EU. Legislation begins to reflect this new focus on transport as well,” Mihnea Catuti, Head of Research, Energy Policy Group (EPG) said during Green Mobility Forum organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest.

“It is possible that in 2027 a carbon price will be introduced in the mobility sector, which will put pressure on the elimination of the use of fossil fuels, but it is also possible that we will have new vehicle production standards. Most likely, starting from 2035, all cars produced in the EU will have to be zero-emission.

We are also talking about infrastructure legislation. The European Parliament is preparing the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation to put a charging station every 60 kilometres on national roads.”

On 14 July 2021, the European Commission presented a package of proposals to equip the EU’s climate, energy, land use, transport, and taxation policies to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 % by 2030, compared with 1990 levels – the ‘fit for 55’ package. The package includes a proposal to revise the 2014 directive on alternative fuels infrastructure and turn it into a regulation. In the draft regulation, the Commission proposes binding targets for electric vehicle charging points and hydrogen refuelling points, electric charging for stationary aircraft at airports and onshore power supply for ships at ports. It also contains provisions for EU Member States to ensure coverage of refuelling points for liquefied natural gas (LNG) dedicated to heavy-duty vehicles, and LNG refuelling points in maritime ports.

Full recording of the conference: