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Stop heat engines, stall at the last mile

2023-03-14T18:36:35.459Z


(HANDLE) The standoff at the last mile. After the October 2022 agreement between the European Parliament and the member states on the ban on the sale of new vehicles with combustion engines starting from 2035, the vote in the EU Council was supposed to be a mere formality. The abrupt stop in Berlin, on the other hand, has reopened Pandora's box of reservations surrounding the dossier, prompting the Swedish


The standoff at the last mile.

After the October 2022 agreement between the European Parliament and the member states on the ban on the sale of new vehicles with combustion engines starting from 2035, the vote in the EU Council was supposed to be a mere formality.

The abrupt stop in Berlin, on the other hand, has reopened Pandora's box of reservations surrounding the dossier, prompting the Swedish presidency of the EU Council to postpone the vote.

Germany was joined by countries such as Italy and the Czech Republic, while Poland had already voted against the regulation and Bulgaria had opted for abstention: together these countries could form a blocking minority within the Council.

To approve the new rules, 15 of the 27 EU member states, which make up at least 65% of the total EU population, would have to vote in favour.

Germany is the most populous country in the EU, while Italy ranks third and Poland fifth.

The plans to reduce CO2 emissions from new vans and cars by 100% from 2035 are part of a wider package on the fight against climate change, the so-called Fit for 55, which itself is part of the European Green Deal.

The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

Germany aims for exemption for e-fuel

German Transport Minister Volker Wissing said he was against the sales ban, arguing that the European Commission has not yet implemented a complementary bill on the possible registrations of cars and commercial vehicles running on climate-neutral fuels after 2035. The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the federal government agreed it expected the European Commission to present a proposal on the use of e-fuels after 2035.

For German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, newly registered combustion vehicles should be an exception to the ban after 2035. "We need this clear and legally certain link between the decision on fleet limits and the possibility of new registrations "Lindner explained.

As combustion engine technology will continue to remain important worldwide, an automobile exporter like Germany should retain the necessary expertise in this area, he added.

Lindner said that for his party, the liberal FDP, technological openness was a top priority.

Italy and Poland against the ban on sales

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the postponement of the vote on stopping petrol and diesel cars from 2035 as "an Italian success".

The position of the Italian government, you said, "is clear: a fair and sustainable transition must be carefully planned and implemented to avoid negative repercussions in terms of production and employment".

“It is right - she added - to aim for zero CO2 emissions as soon as possible, but the States must be left free to take the path they deem most effective and sustainable.

This means not closing the door to clean technologies other than electric [vehicles].

In a statement sent to representatives of the 27 EU member states, Italy stressed that "by setting a 100% emissions reduction target by 2035 and not providing any incentive for the use of renewable fuels, the regulation does not is in line with the principle of technological neutrality”.

Furthermore, the document states that "combustion engine cars are owned by low-income citizens and will remain on the road beyond 2035. The success of electric cars will depend greatly on how affordable they become for these citizens."

Poland is also among the Member States that have raised reservations.

"We were against and remain against the ban on the sale of combustion cars after 2035 from the very beginning," said Polish Climate and Environment Minister Anna Moskwa, according to the Polish News Agency (PAP). ).

“There are more and more skeptical voices in the behind-the-scenes discussions,” she added.

States wake up and realize that 2035 is not that far away.

Especially those smaller countries, which, as one can imagine, will be inundated with foreign technologies.

Their companies are starting to understand this reality.”

France, Croatia and Slovenia confirm their support for the regulation

French transport minister Clément Beaune has urged Germany to support the regulation, regretting Berlin's "form of rebellion".

"If we don't maintain this ambition - he said - we will be swept away from an industrial and ecological point of view".

The signal was clear: [the regulation] had been supported, including by Germany."

The ban on polluting cars, he recalled, had been adopted "under the French presidency of the EU as a great ambition".

Zagreb sees the regulation as an important part of the European Green Deal and one of the key intermediate steps to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. While Croatia doesn't boast a strong automotive industry like the Czech Republic, Slovakia or Hungary, the company Rimac Automobili has made a breakthrough in recent years, becoming famous worldwide for the development of an electric sports car.

Rimac has managed to attract investment from Hyundai and Porsche and has a joint venture with Bugatti.

Slovenia is on the same wavelength.

According to the Slovenian environment ministry, the ban will help achieve climate, energy and environmental goals in the transport sector.

The European Commission, underlines Ljubljana, will monitor the development and implementation of technologies and infrastructures for zero-emission mobility in the context of periodic reviews.

If necessary, therefore, the Berlaymont building could decide, within the framework of these reviews, to continue selling internal combustion vehicles powered by synthetic fuel and with zero carbon emissions.

There are different paths for the decarbonisation of passenger cars, the ministry explained, adding that it is not "against leaving the door open to this solution".

Bosnia and Herzegovina looks to the future

Although there is no unified state policy for the gradual transition to electric and hybrid cars and the phasing out of petrol and diesel vehicles, the government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has approved incentives for the purchase of electric cars.

Vehicles of this type on the road in Bosnia and Herzegovina are increasing, but they are still much less than in EU and Balkan countries.

However, there is growing attention from car manufacturers to hybrid and electric cars, especially as Sarajevo is one of the most polluted cities in the world.

This is also demonstrated by a team of young engineers, gathered in the GS-TMT company, who have created EVO, the first electric vehicle for deliveries in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

This article was produced with contributions from AFP, ANSA, dpa, FENA, HINA, STA

as part of the European Newsroom project.

Source: ansa

All news articles on 2023-03-14

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