The vote of the European Council on 7 March has so far gone without an agreement: Italy and Germany lead the group of countries that ask for changes or threaten rejection
March 02
“We made the offer. The transition to electric does not happen overnight and then we will have a review in the middle, in 2026, before 2035”. The stalemate in Brussels is total, the fact that this sentence was pronounced by Thierry Breton is sensational. The EU Commissioner for the Internal Market refers to the clause which obliges the Commission to implement by December 2026 a Review Internship, a phase of verification of the real progress made towards the reduction of emissions and therefore to evaluate the applicability or otherwise of the total ban on thermal cars from 2035, the approval of which in recent days has become a matter of confrontation between the countries of the Union. With the real risk of a blatant rejection. In short, the stalemate in Brussels is such that Thierry Breton forgets how there Review Internship was added on 29 June 2022 to the original text approved by the Commission, which had to undergo it as an imposition. Now Breton appropriates it and uses it to calm public opinion, as a demonstration to the governments most critical of the provision that, in any case, an emergency exit exists. But all this seems to be not enough at all.
referral to the square
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Diplomatic sources report a further postponement of the vote of the Permanent Representatives Committee, already scheduled for 1 March and then postponed to 3. We recall that the Permanent Representatives Committee is the body that coordinates and prepares the work of all the meetings of the Council, trying to find a strong prior agreement, thus avoiding surprises. There is no agreement, so much so that the Swedish presidency of the EU will probably choose a new postponement to avoid going to the vote with the very concrete risk of a rejection of the next meeting of the European Council on 7 March, the moment imagined by many in recent months such as that of an obvious and formal approval which instead is moving further and further away. On the Fit for 55 plan which marks the halt to the sale of cars with combustion engines in the 27 countries of the Union starting from 1 January 2035, a very tough opposition movement is being created. Approval requires the favorable vote of 55% of the member states, i.e. 15 out of 27, but which may also represent 65% of the total population of the EU. With the abstention of Germany and Bulgaria and the opposition of Poland and Italy, the provision would be rejected.
Germany and Italy on the barricades
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“Following our decision, which was substantially joined by Poland and Bulgaria, a reflection was opened”, stated the Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, during a press conference in Brussels. “We do not question the dates, 2035 and 2050. But at the same time we protect workers and businesses and for this reason we ask that the stages and methods for reaching those appointments be changed, so that they are sustainable” – recalls Urso, launching also a strategic assist of no small importance: “If biofuels can allow us to achieve the same objectives, why not use them?”. Precisely the latter is the position of the German government, which according to the Reuters agency has already made a request for an exemption to the European Union, allowing the sale of cars with combustion engines even beyond 2035, provided they are fueled with neutral fuels from the view of CO2 emissions. A request which, if accepted, would literally distort the entire provision, leaving little room for negotiation.
March 02, 2023 – 7.35 pm
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