The European Parliament backs a ban on the sale of petrol cars by 2035

Euskaraz irakurri: Europako Parlamentuak 2035ean petrol autoen salmenta debenkatzea babestu du

The European Parliament on Wednesday backed the European Commission’s proposal to end sales of combustion engine cars and vans in the European Union by 2035, an initiative still to be negotiated with EU Member States.

The date 2035, so that only new zero-emission vehicles can be marketed, has been approved by 339 votes in favour, 249 against and 24 abstentions in the plenary this Wednesday of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (France).

In view of the final negotiations with the countries, MEPs have supported a path to reduce emissions from the utility fleets of the 15% in 2025 with regard to 2021, from 55% by 2030 and from 100% by 2035while the required reduction for vans by the end of the decade is 50%.

EU countries are expected to discuss their position on decarbonising the car industry at the Council of Environment Ministers to be held in Luxembourg on 29 June.

Transport is one of the sectors that emit the most CO2 in the EU and cars alone are responsible for 12% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

The final regulation will be the result of negotiations between the Parliament, the Council and the Commission from the second half of the year, when the Presidency of the Council of the EU will come under the Czech Republic, the country of origin of the Skoda car brand. .

Suitable for 55

The vote on carbon dioxide from vehicles is only a small part of the colossal Fit for 55 legislative package to reduce the EU’s CO2 emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050, which is designed to the productive fabric of the European Union.

The targets are already legally binding and Fit for 55 is the Commission’s roadmap to achieve them, from agriculture to shipping.

However, the major legislative package to decarbonise the European Union has stalled in the Community Parliament, unable to agree on a position to negotiate with the European Commission and Council on the reform of the CO2 emissions market.

A last minute amendment tabled by the European People’s Partysupported by liberals and Eurosceptics, has resulted in Social Democrats and Greens voting against the text in its entirety and overturning the common position of the European Parliament, which has also been voted against by the far right and left.

What should have been the go-ahead for the most important climate legislation in the history of the European Union to become a reality has ended in parliamentary tumult, uproar and cross-critical accusations in the House.

Wednesday after noon, the plenary started voting on 8 of the 14 proposals of the Fit for 55 package. Some of these votes were expected to be adjusted, but not the future reform of the so-called SOA Systemwhich puts a price on the carbon dioxide emitted by some 11,000 energy-intensive industrial plants and has been the cornerstone of EU climate policy since 2005.

The text had previously been agreed in a parliamentary committee, a circumstance that is usually respected, and had been discussed in the meeting room the day before.

But a European People’s Party amendment to postpone the date of disappearance of free CO2 permits caused the text to fall, which in turn dragged along other regulations intrinsically linked to the ETS.