Vehicles in Europe would have to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost a third by 2030 under proposals unveiled on Wednesday by regulators in Brussels, who were immediately criticized for not doing enough to combat global warming and for succumbing to pressure from Germany and its powerful auto lobby.

The proposals by the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, would force automakers to cut vehicle carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent by 2030 compared to 2021 levels, and to achieved half of the cuts by 2025.

To the disappointment of environmental groups, the commission declined to set quotas for how many zero-emission electric vehicles carmakers must sell by 2030. Instead, the plan offers financial rewards to carmakers if they exceed certain benchmarks for electric-vehicle production.

Critics of the proposal said that failing to set more ambitious targets could make European companies vulnerable to faster moving competitors like Tesla or emerging automakers in China. The Chinese government has ordered that 20 percent of the cars in the country run on batteries or other alternative fuels by 2025.