With the efforts of Bulgaria and seven other EU Member States, the weakened version of the new Euro 7 standard for emissions from gasoline and diesel engines has been adopted.

Italy, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia opposed the initial project, as unrealistic and with a negative impact on investments in the automotive sector in the transition to electric cars. France and Italy, which have powerful auto industries, said the standard threatened European competitiveness in a sector that employs 14 million Europeans. Euro 7 will replace Euro 6 from 2025 and will be mandatory for all new vehicles sold. It also introduces higher standards for car batteries.

At the Competitiveness Council in Brussels, Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Ivaylo Shotev pointed out that the accessibility to electric cars varies in different EU countries and that Euro7 will increase the demand for second-hand cars.