Germany supports elimination of combustion engines by 2035

Germany backed the European Union’s proposal that only emission-free cars and vans be sold from 2035, as the bloc advances talks on an ambitious green reform at a time of extraordinary energy crisis.

EU environment ministers discussed cars and other proposals aimed at cutting emissions at their quarterly meeting in Brussels.

Discussions about the bill banning internal combustion engines showed that some countries want to be more ambitious, with the Netherlands and Belgium calling for a 2030 phase-out target.

Discussions about the so-called “Fit for 55” package, which aims to meet the EU’s goal of reducing greenhouse gases by at least 55% by 2030, have become particularly difficult in recent months due to the increase in energy costs exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Member states are trying to agree on proposals ranging from cutting car emissions to imposing a carbon price on road transport and heating.

German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke said the ruling coalition in Berlin supports the EU executive arm’s plan “at all points”.

The tripartite formation had previously avoided setting a difficult target to ban polluting vehicles, saying instead that it supports the EU’s goal of selling only new vehicles.”carbon neutral” in Europe by 2035, while pledging to support cars that can run on electric fuels.

“Ultimately, this means that combustion engines in cars and delivery vans will be phased out from 2035.″ Lemke told reporters in Brussels ahead of talks with his EU counterparts.

The issue is especially sensitive in Germany, where it dominates the car industry and manufacturers have been holding off on pushing electric vehicles for years. The country did not sign on to a commitment made at last year’s COP26 climate talks to sell only zero-emission vehicles by 2035.

France, which holds the rotating EU presidency, is trying to agree on the negotiating mandate of member states for talks with parliament before the summer.

For their part, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany spoke in favor of a separate emissions trading system covering road transport and buildings, while a group of countries, including Poland and Slovakia , warned of the costs that a mechanism of this type would introduce.

The latter country is studying the possibility of proposing an alternative that would lower the eligibility threshold in the current emissions trading system, while introducing a nationwide carbon tax for road transport.

“Ambitious sectoral standards are vital to reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports for transport and buildings, and the phasing out of new internal combustion engine vehicles from 2030 is a key priority”, said Rob Jetten, Dutch Minister for Climate and Energy. “no time to lose”.