In order to curb pollutant emissions from light-duty vehicles in the European Union, a set of complex regulations have been ap-proved in the recent years (2016-2018) including more stringent emissions tests, independent in-service conformity checks, and a novel type-approval framework which includes market surveillance provisions to complement the type-approval requirements. Tailpipe emissions will need to meet stringent emission limits before entering the market at type-approval and at the end of the production line, as well as during their normal life under normal conditions of use. This contribution aims at providing a comprehensive but synthetic analysis of the current regulatory context in the EU.