EU vote on wiping out internal combustion engines is postponed

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Shortly before, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) said in Berlin that Germany cannot agree to the planned ban at the moment. Wissing reiterated the demand that the European Commission should come up with a proposal on how climate-neutral synthetic fuels can be used in internal combustion engines after 2035. The EU Commission must fulfill a corresponding commitment.

Without Germany’s approval, the vote scheduled for Tuesday could have failed. Passing the law requires the approval of 15 of the 27 member states, which together must make up at least 65 percent of the EU’s total population. In addition to Germany, countries such as Italy, Poland and Bulgaria recently also refused to agree to the plans. Without Germany, the 65 percent limit would not be reached.

In fact, negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU states had already agreed in October that from 2035 only new cars that do not emit greenhouse gases while driving may be sold in the EU. The pending vote of the EU member states is the very last step in the legislative process and is actually a formality.

However, Wissing had already announced opposition to the project early this week and threatened that Germany would not be able to agree. He justified this by saying that the European Commission has not yet tabled a proposal on how only vehicles powered by climate-neutral fuels such as e-fuels can be approved after 2035.

This was part of the agreement in the Council of EU States in June 2022, which persuaded the FDP to agree within the federal government.

(SDA)

Source: Blick