A draft law to curtail pollution from cars and vans has drawn a storm of criticism from environmental campaigners, who have accused the European Commission of watering down the proposal to please the automotive industry.

The so-called ‘Euro 7’ standards set limits on the amount of non-CO2 air pollution that can be released by vehicles, including emissions harmful to human health such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter.

Cars, vans, buses and trucks are the leading source of nitrogen dioxide pollution and the third largest emitters of fine particulate matter. Some 70,000 people die prematurely from air pollution stemming from road transport annually, according to EU figures.

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The Commission’s consortium of experts, CLOVE, advised that the new rules include a series of stringent measures, including tighter limits for NOx and particulate matter.

However, in a leaked draft of Euro 7 seen by EURACTIV, Commission policymakers only proposed that new diesel vehicles be subject to the same pollution standards as petrol vehicles under Euro 6, the standards currently in force.

Read more: Euractiv