{"id":134,"date":"2026-05-18T17:00:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/?p=134"},"modified":"2026-05-18T17:00:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:00:54","slug":"press-gathering-speech-by-head-of-cabinet-konstantinos-gkoumas-ahead-of-trilogue-negotiations-week-18-05-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/2026\/05\/18\/press-gathering-speech-by-head-of-cabinet-konstantinos-gkoumas-ahead-of-trilogue-negotiations-week-18-05-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Press Gathering &#8211; Speech by Head of Cabinet Konstantinos Gkoumas ahead of trilogue negotiations week (18\/05\/2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: the recording of our Head of Cabinet&#8217;s speech during the Press Gathering of 18 May is available below.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Thank you all for being here today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today marks an important moment as we officially open the trilogue negotiations on the revision of the CO\u2082 standards Regulation for light-duty vehicles and vehicle labelling. On behalf of Commissioner POMILI POMILI and the DG CLIMA team, I would like to thank the Parliament, the Council, and all stakeholders for the <strong>intensive and constructive work<\/strong> carried out in preparation for these discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are entering this phase with <strong>confidence<\/strong> that the negotiations ahead will be <strong>fruitful<\/strong> and <strong>substantive<\/strong>. The quality of the work undertaken so far, including the many amendments and technical contributions put forward by both co-legislators, has enabled us to return with a proposal that we believe is <strong>legally coherent, balanced, and operationally sound.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today\u2019s discussions will focus on several key elements of the proposal, including flexibilities linked to renewable fuels and low-carbon steel credits, provisions related to small electric vehicles and \u201cMade in EU\u201d requirements, as well as questions concerning lifecycle emissions methodologies and the broader architecture of the Regulation. These are <strong>important and technically complex issues<\/strong> which go to the heart of <strong>balancing climate ambition<\/strong>, <strong>industrial<\/strong> <strong>competitiveness<\/strong>, and <strong>legal<\/strong> <strong>robustness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the outset, the Commission\u2019s objective has been clear: to provide a flexible and technology-neutral framework while remaining <strong>fully aligned<\/strong> with the Union\u2019s <strong>climate neutrality objectives<\/strong> and maintaining predictability for manufacturers, investors, and consumers alike. We remain <strong>fully committed to the European Climate Law <\/strong>and to the decarbonisation of road transport, while recognising the significant structural challenges currently facing the European automotive sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this context, we welcome the constructive engagement shown by both the Parliament and the Council. The amendments proposed throughout the process reflect a genuine willingness to strengthen the text and to ensure that the final Regulation is both effective and implementable in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Commission will continue to play its role as a constructive facilitator throughout these negotiations. We are open to compromise and ready to work closely with both co-legislators to identify balanced solutions. At the same time, it is essential that any compromise preserves the overall coherence of the Regulation, its legal certainty, and the integrity of the broader framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We believe that today\u2019s discussions provide a strong basis for moving forward <strong>together<\/strong> in a spirit of cooperation, pragmatism, and shared responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thank you.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>Related Media<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>To see the recording of our Head of Cabinet&#8217;s speech, please refer to the link down below: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1rZgPH8HfqN6bsolUHMBuajFAt6ehFtyb\/view?usp=sharing\">https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1rZgPH8HfqN6bsolUHMBuajFAt6ehFtyb\/view?usp=sharing<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Contact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cl\u00e9a Leclerc-Dupont : clea.leclercdupont@sciencespo.fr<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Communication Officer of the Directorate General for Climate Action<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Note: the recording of our Head of Cabinet&#8217;s speech during the Press Gathering of 18 May is available below. &#8220;Thank you all for being here today. Today marks an important moment as we officially open the trilogue negotiations on the revision of the CO\u2082 standards Regulation for light-duty vehicles and vehicle labelling. On behalf of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-corner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139,"href":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134\/revisions\/139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.sim-ex.eu\/commsclima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}