The Brussels faction of the French-speaking socialist party PS wants to delay stricter rules for polluting cars – the introduction of the Euro 5 emission class – in the region's Low Emission Zone (LEZ) by two years, announced Saint-Josse-ten-Noode city councillor Philippe Boïketé (PS).
Flanders and Wallonia have both decided to delay the ban on Euro 5 vehicles with diesel engines in the LEZ, but the current rules for Brussels state that these vehicles will be banned from entering the region from 2025.
"Brussels is not an island, and buying a new car represents an unbearable cost for far too many families. The PS is therefore calling for a postponement," Boïteké said on social media.
The European emission standards represent pollution thresholds, and are defined in a series of EU directives staging the progressive introduction of increasingly stringent standards. This means that Euro 5 standards are stricter (and therefore less polluting) than Euro 4, 3, 2 and 1. As of March 2024, the Euro 7 emission standard is awaiting formal approval.
In practice, the Euro 5 emission standard concerns vehicles first registered between 2011 and 2015. Flanders postponed the ban on these vehicles into its LEZs by a year, while Wallonia delayed it until 2028.
Ridouane Chahid, leader of the Brussels PS group, told La Libre that 32,000 families in the Capital Region would be affected by the measure. "Improving air quality is a good thing, but we must also allow Brussels residents to be able to move around in a suitable way."
For Chahid, the Brussels'Air bonus – which rises to €1,010 for Brussels residents who ditch their cars – does not offer a sufficient alternative: "Let's be realistic. Either we introduce accompanying measures to help Brussels residents buy a less polluting car, or we take even more alternative measures."
'Not credible'
Brussels Minister of Climate Transition and Environment Alain Maron (Ecolo), however, is sticking to the pre-set timeline. "In Belgium, air quality is the cause of 7,000 premature deaths a year. Improving air quality means a significant improvement in health and quality of life in the dense neighbourhoods of Brussels, where households own the fewest cars," he told Bruzz.
Maron also pointed out that the LEZ calendar (which was introduced during the previous legislature) was again approved by the entire Brussels Government during the current legislature. "A request for postponement a few weeks before the elections is not credible."
He also underlined that London has already included Euro 6 in its LEZ.
Since early 2022, diesel vehicles with Euro 4 standard have not been allowed to enter the Brussels LEZ; those who do enter risk a €350 fine. From 2025, Euro 5 diesel-engined vehicles are supposed to be banned as well, along with Euro 2 petrol vehicles.
