Brussels, Dec. 11, (dpa/GNA) – The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) wants to reverse an EU ban on combustion engines from 2035 in a new policy proposal adopted on Wednesday.
The biggest group in the European Parliament, which includes the Germany’s Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union, however still wants the automotive industry to meet EU climate targets.
The planned ban on combustion engines should be reversed in order to ensure technological neutrality, according to the EPP paper, with e-fuels included during the revision of regulations.
The European Union has already passed a law that only new cars that do not emit any climate-damaging carbon emissions during operation may be registered from 2035, which would mean a major ramp-up of electric vehicles.
But for more than a year and a half, the German government has been pushing for exemptions for e-fuels at the insistence of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).
E-fuels are synthetic fuels that can theoretically be used to operate combustion engines in a climate-neutral way.
Germany is host to major car manufacturers, many of which have struggled to make the shift from cars with traditional combustion engines to electric vehicles.
Current EU legislation imposes fines on car manufacturers if they exceed fleet limits for carbon emissions in 2025. The EPP in its position paper wants to avoid this.
Instead, the compliance of car manufacturers could be assessed over a longer period. Those who do not meet the requirements in 2025 could, for example, make up for this by exceeding the requirements in 2026.
As the only EU institution that can propose legislation and amendments to existing laws, the European Commission would have to propose the necessary changes to the combustion engine ban.
A majority to support the revisions would be required in the EU legislative chamber and among the EU member states.
GNA