Italy and Poland on hand with Germany. Decision on banning cars with internal combustion engines postponed

The spokesman added that EU states would “return to this issue in due course”. The vote, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was considered a formality as EU leaders and the European Parliament reached a consensus on the issue last October.

However, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing, of the pro-business FDP, voiced his opposition to the sales ban earlier this week. He argued that the European Commission had not yet come forward with a complementary draft of the new rules and had not responded to how cars and vans running on climate-neutral fuels could still be registered in the EU after 2035.

Italy and Poland hand in hand with Germany

The promised proposal was part of an agreement reached last summer to gain FDP support for a sales ban. To approve a sales ban, 15 of the 27 EU member states, which together account for at least 65 percent of the community’s total population, would have to vote in favour. In addition to Germany, opposition to the plans has recently been voiced by Italy, Poland and Bulgaria, among others.

It is worth noting that Germany is the most populous EU country, while Italy ranks third and Poland fifth. Without Germany’s support, a majority of 65 percent of EU citizens would be unlikely.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini welcomed the delay of the vote. He called it a “big signal” on Twitter. “The voice of millions of Italians has been heard,” wrote Salvini, leader of the far-right Lega party. Audi boss Markus Duesmann in an interview with “Der Spiegel” emphasized the need for security planning for the car industry and its multi-billion-dollar investments, and warned against withdrawing the planned ban.

He said synthetic fuels would not play a major role in the passenger car segment in the medium term. In addition, Audi plans to phase out the internal combustion engine in 2033.

Greens vs FDP

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, also from the FDP, said that newly registered combustion vehicles would be an exception after 2035. However, he added that Germany, as an important car exporter, should retain knowledge of internal combustion engines as this technology remains important worldwide .

However, Sven Giegold, Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, who is a member of the Greens, expressed his understanding of the FDP’s position. “As Germans, we’ve always said: we support the end of the old conventional internal combustion engines, but we want a solution outside this law for internal combustion engines powered exclusively by sustainable e-fuels,” he said on Thursday. Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, also of the Greens, said Germany should support a sales ban.

Green MEP Michael Bloss called the delay of the vote “embarrassing for Germany” and called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to “end this tragedy”.

Synthetic fuels are produced by combining hydrogen with carbon dioxide, which can be captured from the atmosphere. These fuels are considered climate-neutral only if the energy needed to produce them and their ingredients have been produced from renewable sources.

It is disputed how beneficial or feasible a large-scale use of synthetic fuels would be. Supporters see them as a climate-friendly alternative to fossil fuels. Critics argue that synthetic fuels should only be used in air and sea traffic, while their use in a large number of vehicles would be a waste of green energy.

Plans to cut climate-damaging carbon emissions from new vans and passenger cars by 100 percent by 2035 – effectively banning sales – are part of a larger package to combat climate change. The EU wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and achieve climate neutrality in 2050. (dpa)/dr

Turn off checking Premium Suggestions