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Exhaust gas from a small truck (symbol image)
Photo: Frank Rumpenhorst / dpa
Combustion engines for cars have no future in the EU: from 2035, only new, climate-neutral cars will be sold in the European Union.
The ministers responsible for the environment in the 27 countries agreed on this on Wednesday night in Luxembourg.
The next step is to negotiate the position of the EU countries with the EU Parliament.
This advocates an end for new combustion engines from 2035. The other parts of the package would also have to be negotiated with the EU Parliament after the agreement in the Council of Ministers.
The end of the combustion engine from 2035 is an important building block for the European Green Deal and for achieving the climate goals.
It was only on Tuesday evening that the federal government had agreed on a position on phasing out combustion engines: A government spokesman announced that the traffic light government supported an emerging proposal by the EU Council on fleet limits as a "contribution to climate-neutral mobility".
It was previously unclear whether Germany would agree to an end for new cars with combustion engines in the EU from 2035 or abstain.
The so-called fleet limit values are specifications for the manufacturers as to how much CO₂ the cars and vans they produce are allowed to emit during operation.
The EU countries have now spoken out in favor of reducing it to zero by 2035.
The topic had sparked a heated argument in the federal government, and the FDP had great concerns.
She had insisted that after 2035, combustion engines that use e-fuels could also be approved.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) tweeted two emojis a few minutes after the agreement in Luxembourg became known:
And Austria's Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) tweeted a euphoric "Yesss!!":
aar/dpa