The European Commission has published its long-awaited Automotive Package, building on the Automotive Action Plan released in March and an extensive year-long dialogue with industry, Member States and stakeholders. The Package aims to strengthen the competitiveness of Europe’s automotive sector while advancing the transition towards clean mobility. The Automotive Package consists of four key elements:
- Revision of the CO₂ emission standards for cars and vans
- Battery Booster – strengthening Europe’s own battery value chain
- Automotive Omnibus – reducing administrative burden and improving enabling conditions
- Decarbonisation of corporate vehicle fleets
Together, these initiatives form a comprehensive framework shaping the future of Europe’s automotive and transport sectors.
FinMobility has been actively engaged throughout the preparation of the Automotive Package, ensuring that Finnish transport and mobility perspectives are reflected at EU level. Through its member organisations, FinMobility has contributed to Commission open consultations, submitted policy positions, and raised concerns consistently with EU institutions and key stakeholders.
Our advocacy has focused in particular on the need for realistic, technology-neutral and business-driven solutions, especially for the road transport and logistics sectors, where operational realities, infrastructure readiness and total cost of ownership strongly influence investment decisions.
Industrial Declaration: calling for technology neutrality
Most recently, FinMobility signed the Industrial Declaration on the Future of the Automotive Sector as part of the Network for Sustainable Mobility (NSM). The Declaration calls for a technology-neutral EU approach to transport decarbonisation, recognising carbon-neutral fuels – renewable and synthetic fuels fully compliant with the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) sustainability criteria – as a core solution alongside electrification.
The Declaration highlights that vehicles running exclusively on RED-compliant carbon-neutral fuels should be treated on an equal footing with zero-emission vehicles, including recognition under CO₂ standards and access to equivalent regulatory status and incentives. This reflects FinMobility’s long-standing position that Europe’s climate goals can only be met by using all effective decarbonisation technologies available. The Declaration can be read below:
It is encouraging that the Commission’s proposal to revise the CO₂ emission standards for cars and vans introduces greater flexibility and enhanced technology neutrality. From 2035 onwards, manufacturers may comply with the standards not only through zero-emission vehicles, but also via compensation mechanisms that recognise emission savings from e-fuels and biofuels, as well as the use of low-carbon steel produced in the EU.
In addition, the Automotive Package foresees a targeted amendment to the CO₂ standards for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), introducing further flexibility to ease compliance with the 2030 targets. This approach acknowledges the structural and operational challenges of the HDV sector and opens the door to better recognition of alternative low- and carbon-neutral solutions such as biofuels and biogas. At this stage, however, the detailed legislative proposal has not yet been published.
At the same time, it is important to note that the proposed framework is based on compensation mechanisms rather than full regulatory equivalence. While the Automotive Package marks a step forward towards greater technology neutrality and recognises the role of carbon-neutral fuels, vehicles running exclusively on such fuels are not yet granted full zero-emission vehicle status under the CO₂ standards. Many key implementation details remain open, and their design will be decisive during the legislative negotiations.
Corporate Fleets and Heavy-Duty Transport: A Key Advocacy Priority
FinMobility strongly welcomes the Commission’s decision to exclude heavy-duty vehicles from the scope of the Clean Corporate Vehicles initiative. This has been a central advocacy priority for FinMobility, consistently raised in discussions with the Commission and other stakeholders.
As a concrete example of this work, FinMobility participated in a high-level event in Strasbourg hosted by IRU, CLECAT and the European Shippers’ Council, bringing together MEPs, transport operators, freight forwarders and shippers to discuss corporate fleet mandates. The event took place just hours before the Commission presented the Automotive Package on 16 December.
Participants highlighted that while companies share a clear commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, regulatory flexibility is essential. Businesses must be able to choose decarbonisation pathways that are technically feasible, economically viable and compatible with their operational realities.
For many heavy-duty transport operations, full electrification is not yet feasible. Grid capacity constraints, limited depot charging possibilities and insufficient infrastructure at major logistics hubs pose significant challenges. In certain segments, such as ADR transport of fuels, gases and chemicals, electrification is currently not a viable option for safety and operational reasons.
In a sector characterised by tight margins and high capital intensity, investments are largely constrained by total cost of ownership. The risks of transformation cannot be borne by operators alone. What is needed are predictable regulation, enabling conditions and incentives, rather than prescriptive mandates.
The transition also raises major skills challenges. New vehicle technologies require advanced competences in electrification, digitalisation and software, and closing these skills gaps will take time.
Many transport and logistics companies are already implementing a wide range of decarbonisation measures – including the use of HVO, biofuels, biogas and efficiency-enhancing vehicle combinations. These efforts demonstrate the sector’s willingness to contribute to climate goals when provided with the right framework. Ultimately, the transition requires trust in the sector, support for entrepreneurship and flexibility in policy design. Thus mandates will not deliver a competitive and sustainable transport system.
The Strasbourg event was also co-hosted by Finnish MEP Merja Kyllönen, and featured a contribution from Pontus Stenberg, CEO of Finnish transport operator Simeon, who highlighted why electrification is not feasible in many segments, including dangerous goods transport. Ensuring that Finnish perspectives are heard in EU transport policymaking remains a core priority for FinMobility!
