The EU states will soon decide whether they support a ban on new registrations of combustion cars from 2035. The federal government has not yet been able to agree on a common position. Five EU countries also want to soften the combustion engine off.
Shortly before an important EU ministerial meeting, the majority for the planned phasing out of combustion engines in 2035 suddenly wobbled: On Tuesday, the 27 environment ministers in Luxembourg want to vote on a common position on the EU Commission’s controversial draft law.
In Germany, the FDP demands that the federal government does not agree to the project at the meeting, provoking a coalition dispute. According to information from the Süddeutsche Zeitung, five other EU governments are now also calling for the regulation to be softened.
The newspaper quotes from a joint discussion paper by Italy, Portugal, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia, which the EU ambassadors of the 27 member states are to discuss this Friday. These five countries, along with Germany, would have a blocking minority and could thus prevent ministers from adopting a position on Tuesday.
According to the newspaper, the five countries in the paper are calling for carbon emissions from new cars to be reduced by just 90 percent by 2035 instead of 100 percent. Car companies could then continue to sell some combustion models, even if the majority of the fleet has to be electric. The 100 percent, i.e. the complete ban, would not come until 2040, writes the SZ.
