On February 14, the EU Parliament confirmed the end of the internal combustion engine by 2035 – for new cars. Now the EU countries have to agree again. But resistance is already emerging in some countries. The German Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has already hinted at a German veto threat.
“Against the background of the huge existing fleet that we have in Germany alone, a compromise on the fleet limits for the FDP can only be reached if the use of e-fuels is also possible,” Wissing confirmed to the “Bild”. newspaper. Newspaper. Otherwise, Germany could not agree to the upcoming votes.
The minister emphasized that the European Commission has a clear mandate to enable the use of climate-friendly e-fuels in cars. This applies both to the existing fleet and to combustion engines that will be newly registered after 2035, says Wissing: “To date, we have not received any suggestions, only negative statements from deputy Frans Timmermans.”
Petition against internal combustion engines in Italy
The Italian governing party Lega has started a signature collection against the Brussels plans. The end of internal combustion engines would be “a catastrophe leading to more than half a million layoffs across Europe and thousands of bankruptcies in Italy,” the petition said. “The automotive sector is a strategic industry for Italy. The end of internal combustion engines would be a real gift to China, the world’s largest manufacturer of batteries for electric cars. The necessary struggle for environmental sustainability must go hand in hand with economic and social sustainability,” emphasizes the party of Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.
According to current plans, no new combustion engine cars will be registered in the EU from 2035. The EU countries had already agreed on a compromise in October. The EU Parliament recently approved the new CO2 specifications, according to which from 2035 only new cars may be sold in the EU that do not emit greenhouse gases while driving. The EU countries must agree again. In 2026 it should be possible to revise the agreement again.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
