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Traffic in Rome (picture from 2015)
Photo: ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP
Italy wants to soften the European Union's plans to phase out new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2035, according to Vice President and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Instead of reducing the CO2 emissions of new cars with combustion engines by 100 percent in twelve years, as planned by the EU, it should only be 90 percent, Tajani was quoted as saying by the newspaper "Corriere della Sera".
Italy will submit a corresponding counter-proposal.
This should give the industry the opportunity to adapt.
"I'm a big supporter of the electric car, but ambitious goals have to be achieved in reality, not just on paper," Tajani told the newspaper.
»We have to protect our car industry.«
"Italy is lagging behind in the conversion of the automotive sector and we need to speed up investments," Economy Minister Adolfo Urso told the newspaper.
»But the times and paths that Europe sets for us do not match the reality in Europe and especially in Italy.«
The EU Parliament decided on Tuesday that new passenger cars may no longer emit any emissions from operation from 2035, which is considered to be the end of the classic combustion engine.
The Commission, member states and Parliament had previously agreed on this.
The states must now also approve this in the EU Council, which is considered certain.
The aim is for the EU to be climate neutral by 2050.
According to the industry association Anfia, the auto industry in Italy, which is still largely based on traditional combustion engine technology, directly or indirectly employs more than 270,000 people and generates more than five percent of the gross domestic product.
Sales of fully electric cars fell by 27 percent in Italy last year and account for only 3.7 percent of all new registrations.
ani/Reuters
