The EU and Germany could be close to an agreement in the combustion dispute.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin In the dispute over the future of new cars with combustion engines, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing is confident that a workable solution will now be found. The FDP politician told the German Press Agency that they had consulted closely with the EU Commission and, after careful consideration, submitted a constructive proposal for a solution. “We assume that this not only satisfactorily answers all content-related, but also legal questions.”
Wissing added: “There should be nothing standing in the way of the approval of newly registered vehicles with combustion engines that are fueled exclusively with synthetic fuels even after 2035.” It is now expected that the EU Commission will issue a corresponding declaration, with clear time targets name and start the process for corresponding legal acts.
On Thursday evening, the ministry sent a letter in reply to the EU Commission’s latest proposed solutions to Brussels, according to government circles in Berlin. According to a report by Der Spiegel, Wissing has moved away from the demand to renegotiate the CO2 limit values for cars. However, the Ministry of Transport is still demanding a legally binding commitment that cars powered by e-fuels can be operated after 2035.
At the beginning of the week, proposals from the Commission had become known. Accordingly, the authority defined a draft of criteria for the approval of new vehicles that are exclusively operated with CO2-neutral fuels.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz also expect an early agreement in the debate on exceptions to the combustion engine end for cars after 2035. “I am confident that we will soon find a good solution,” said von der Leyen after the conclusion the first day of the EU summit. “There is progress in the negotiations,” she added, referring to the EU Commission’s talks with Transport Minister Volker Wissing. However, this was not an issue at the EU summit.
The background to this is a fundamental agreement between the European Parliament and EU states, according to which only zero-emission new cars may be registered in the EU from 2035. However, Germany is urging that new cars with internal combustion engines that run on e-fuels – i.e. climate-neutral artificial fuels that are produced with green electricity – be permitted after this. A confirmation of the agreement by the EU states, which was planned for early March, was therefore initially prevented by Germany.
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“There are clear agreements in Europe,” emphasized Chancellor Scholz before the start of the EU summit in Brussels. This includes “the idea signed by everyone”, according to which there should be a regulation to be presented by the European Commission that ensures that after 2035 cars that are only powered by e-fuels can continue to be registered. “That’s a consensus.”
“It’s just a matter of being pragmatic about implementing the commitment that the Commission has long since made,” Scholz dismissed criticism that Germany had delayed a final decision at the last minute.
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