The Swedish presidency of the EU semester, as far as we know, has postponed the debate and the vote scheduled for today at the meeting of the Deputy Permanent Representatives (Coreper I) on the stop to the sale of internal combustion engines starting from 2035. The vote was foreseen in the first point of the order of business and slipped to Coreper I on Friday.
The move by the Swedish presidency comes after the yes to the EU Regulation on stopping internal combustion engines (mainly diesel and petrol) has returned to the balance in the past few hours: Italy has announced its vote against and Germany has expressed reservations linking its approval to the need to implement a parallel European measure on e-fuels.
With the unfavorable positions of Poland and Bulgaria already expressed at Coreper I last November, the Regulation risked encountering a blocking minority.
The final, apparently only formal, ratification of the regulation is scheduled for the EU Council on 7 March.
"We are certainly in favor of the electrification of light vehicles. We do not believe, however, that it should be the only path to achieving zero emissions in the transition phase".
This is what Italy underlines in a national declaration sent to the representatives of the 27 in the EU regarding the stop to internal combustion engines from 2035. "By establishing a goal of reducing emissions by 100% in 2035 and not providing any incentive for the of renewable fuels, the regulation is not in line with the principle of technological neutrality. Therefore, Italy cannot support it", reads the document.
