The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has agreed to roll back an imminent ban on the sale of new internal combustion-engined cars and vans after late-night negotiations with the leader of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), the German newspaper Bild reported on Thursday.
Manfred Weber told the newspaper the EU executive had agreed the mandated 100% emissions cut by 2035 would be changed to 90%. As manufacturers use the average figure for all vehicles they sell, this means they could continue producing models with an internal combustion engine alongside all-electric cars, with the number dependent on their fuel efficiency.
Weber also said that there wouldn’t be a full zero-emissions mandate in 2040 either. A spokesperson for the EPP chief confirmed the accuracy of Bild‘s report.
Wait and see
Asked for confirmation, the European Commission’s chief spokesperson Paula Pinho told Euractiv only that internal discussions were ongoing, with the EU executive already scheduled to present a proposal to tweak to CO2 standard regulation on 16 December.
The combustion engine phase-out has been centre-stage in a major political battle over recent years, with countries such as Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic repeatedly calling for its revision.
Commenting on reports of the von der Leyen-Weber deal, the German social democrat MEP Tiemo Wölken said that rolling back the mandate won’t save EU automakers from the arrival of Chinese competitors.
“Simply cutting the targets by 10% will do nothing to help Europe’s automotive sector regain ground in the technology competition with China and others,” he said in a statement.
Nikolaus J. Kurmayer contributed reporting
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