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“There is a clear understanding in Europe,” the SPD politician said at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. This includes the EU Commission, which has made a proposal on how vehicles with internal combustion engines running only on climate-neutral e-fuels can be approved after 2035. “It’s a consensus.”
However, anyone who listened to other heads of government soon realized that the German approach was offensive, even outrageous, for at least some partners. Recently, in particular, the German FDP has ensured that an important climate protection law is not passed in the EU, which stipulates that only new emission-free cars can be registered in the EU from 2035.
“A very difficult sign for the future”
Latvian prime minister Krisjanis Karins was the clearest. In terms of the German approach, he spoke of “a very, very difficult sign for the future”. It’s surprising that a government suddenly takes different decisions after an agreement has been reached. Karins warned: “If we all do this, the entire decision-making architecture will collapse.” Diplomats in Brussels express themselves more clearly behind closed doors. They accuse Germany of abuse of trust.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel reacted to Thursday’s debate. Of course, you can talk about anything at the summit. But actually the issue is not on the agenda. “When we come to Brussels, this is not a concert of wishes.” The European council of heads of state and government should not be responsible for everything, but it should give impetus. There are councils of ministers for everything else, according to Bettel.
About the future of the car
What happened that Chancellor Scholz had to listen to a lecture like Karins’s in front of the assembled European public? And actually more support for Ukraine at an EU summit, which is about UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the European economy?
It’s about the future of the car as we’ve known it for decades, with an internal combustion engine running on diesel or gasoline and emitting CO2. In fact, negotiators in EU countries and the European Parliament had already agreed in the autumn on a far-reaching end to combustion engines by 2035.
But Germany has negotiated an addendum to the deal, according to which the EU Commission must submit a proposal on how vehicles running on CO2-neutral fuels can only be approved after 2035. This refers to the so-called e-fuels, that is, artificial fuels that are produced with green electricity and are climate neutral.
In the EU Commission, the relevant paragraph has always been read so that special vehicles such as ambulance and fire brigade are affected. However, according to the Berlin interpretation, the e-fuel exemption should apply to all vehicles.
FDP wants internal combustion engines after 2035
First of all, FDP wants only internal combustion engines using e-fuels to be approved even after 2035. German Transport Minister Volker Wissing, an FDP politician, therefore withdrew German approval in early March, shortly before the planned final vote, and has since repeatedly called for a “legally secure agreement with the EU Commission” that is open to technology. solution. This is exactly what Wissing’s experts are currently negotiating with the EU Commission – again parallel to the summit.
Many in Brussels have long feared that the entire law on internal combustion engines could be overturned. Because meanwhile, other countries also joined the German attitude. For example, Italy, where the right-wing government of Giorgia Melonis currently reigns. Or Austria. Chancellor Nehammer said on Thursday he believes it is important to further develop Europe as a development region and not endanger it. “E-fuels and the green combustion engine are the way to go. It has to be suppressed now.”
Scholz, on the other hand, was blatantly calm. The talks between the Ministry of Transport and the EU Commission are on the right track. He sees no fault in his government. Instead, he refers to the EU Commission’s proposal for e-fuels currently in demand: “Keeping one’s own promises is always right”.
(SDA)
Source: Blick
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
