(new: details, revised.)
STRASBOURG (dpa-AFX) – According to the wishes of the EU Commission, cars with combustion engines should be able to be newly registered in the EU even after 2035. The Brussels authority is proposing a corresponding change to the so-called combustion engine ban. Negotiators from the EU states and the European Parliament actually agreed around three years ago that new cars would no longer be allowed to emit climate-damaging CO2 from 2035.
This 100 percent reduction target is now being abandoned. In the future there will be exceptions, according to which only up to 90 percent of CO2 will have to be saved compared to the base year 2021. The prerequisite is that CO2 emissions are offset by using environmentally friendly steel and more climate-friendly fuels. According to the Commission, the exceptions should apply to all cars that manufacturers want to bring onto the market after 2035.
Now the European Parliament and the EU states have to deal with the proposals. They evaluate the reform and can make changes. Both institutions can therefore weaken or tighten the plan. Ultimately, a sufficient majority is required in both institutions. How long this will take is still unclear.
Biofuels and e-fuels
In the future, emissions will be offset by biofuels and e-fuels. Biofuel is already mixed with gasoline and sold as E10. Higher admixture rates of biofuels made from organic waste, for example, can reduce CO2 emissions from existing transport. There should be no special role for cars that can only be fueled with climate-friendly e-fuels.
Company and company cars should become greener
The EU Commission will set guidelines on how large the proportion of climate-friendly vehicles should be in company and company car fleets, depending on the member country. According to the plans, companies with more than 250 employees and a turnover of more than 50 million euros are affected. The Commission emphasizes that a major advantage is that these vehicles come onto the used car market much more quickly and are therefore made available to ordinary consumers.
Promoting affordable electric cars
Car manufacturers should be able to benefit from so-called super credits if they build small, affordable electric cars in the EU. “This will create incentives for the market introduction of additional small electric vehicle models,” the Commission said. The Brussels authority specified a length of up to 4.2 meters as the size limit. EU member states and local authorities can develop further incentives to motivate people to buy such cars.
Merz welcomes projects
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) explained that it was good that the Brussels authority was opening up the regulation “following the clear signal from the federal government”. “More openness to technology and more flexibility are the right steps – to better bring climate goals, market realities, companies and jobs together.” The EU Commission’s proposals are now being examined. However, new legal quotas for company car fleets are still rejected.
The auto industry reacts in horror
The Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) is extremely critical of the Commission’s proposal: “Brussels is disappointed with the draft it has submitted,” said VDA President Hildegard Müller. In times of increasing international competition, this overall package from Brussels is fatal. When the Commission speaks of technological openness, in this case it is only paying lip service.
The causes of Europe’s lack of competitiveness as a location are not even addressed. Neither the availability of green steel nor the addition of more environmentally friendly fuels is within the control of the auto industry. “In plain language, this means: Our industry is – as with the charging infrastructure
– once again dependent on developments that do not influence them
can.”
Different camps
Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, whose ministry is responsible within the federal government, expressed himself positively, as did Merz. “The rules will become more flexible, but the climate impact will remain,” explained the SPD politician. He spoke of a pragmatic middle path that also addresses the concerns of the unions.
EPP boss Manfred Weber (CSU) also looks positively at the proposals. “The engineers and customers decide on the engine of the future, not politics,” said Weber. This openness to technology creates clarity for employees in the automotive industry. Environmentalists criticize the proposals as weakening climate protection.
Criticism comes from the Greens and FDP. Liberal MEP Andreas Glück said: “The Union jumped as a tiger and landed as a bed rug.” His Green counterpart Michael Bloss said that the proposal would weaken the European auto industry in the race with China. “This decision means that people will buy fewer electric cars and companies will invest less in batteries and e-mobility.”
Industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer also comments on the Commission’s proposal and describes it as a “hodgepodge of bonuses, subsidies, calculation tricks and protection.” You could have given money to the car manufacturers straight away, according to the expert from the Center Automotive Research in Bochum./mjm/DP/men
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