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Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (archive photo): Exception proposed that is “very important”.
Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) has announced the Federal Government's approval of phasing out combustion engines from 2035 and has proposed a compromise.
"Germany supports the proposal" of the European Commission to only allow private cars and light commercial vehicles without diesel or petrol engines in the EU from 2035, said Lemke on Tuesday at the meeting of EU environment ministers in Luxembourg.
At the same time, she proposed an exception that was "very important" for the German position.
The EU Commission should therefore submit a proposal "for the approval of vehicles after 2035 that are operated exclusively with CO2-neutral fuels".
This means vehicles that run on synthetic fuels (e-fuels).
These are considered CO2-neutral.
So far, the Commission's proposal stipulates that by 2035 the new car fleet of car manufacturers should emit 100 percent fewer emissions than in 2021.
There should be a strong focus on electromobility.
The FDP had insisted that technologies such as e-fuels should not be ruled out.
The burner off had triggered a controversy within the traffic light coalition.
The Greens and SPD were in favor of banning internal combustion engines from 2035, while the FDP was against it.
Lemke said that morning that he wanted to agree to the commission's proposal.
Federal Minister of Finance and FDP leader Christian Lindner emphasized on Twitter on Tuesday that his approval of the end of combustion engines is tied to the fact that combustion engines with e-fuels will also be allowed after 2035.
»Combustion engines with CO₂-free fuels should also be possible as a technology in all vehicles after 2035.
Our approval is bound to that,” wrote Lindner.
The European Commission's proposal on exhaust emissions is part of the climate package with which the EU wants to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 55 percent by 2030.
Synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels, are usually produced from water and CO₂ using electricity.
Where the electricity comes from is relevant for a contribution to climate protection - and the question arises as to what quantities and at what cost the fuels could be made available.
sol/AFP
