The government commission for the transport sector has not been able to agree on a way to reach the climate protection target for 2030 in about 17 hours of deliberations.

According to insiders, the members agreed on the target of up to ten million electric cars by 2030 and on investments in public transport , the railways and the digitalisation of transport.

The government should also consider giving a price to CO2 emissions in transport and other areas. It concerns all sectors that are not covered by EU emissions trading. This would also affect the building sector, agriculture and parts of the industry.

A carbon price would make driving cars with high fuel consumption more expensive. The working group attached importance to a socially acceptable design. Also for the approximately 800,000 employees in the car industry there must be a tolerable transition, it was said.

In contrast, a binding e-car quota , a general speed limit on motorways and a bonus-malus system , which should promote the purchase of climate-friendly cars remained controversial .

The working group also proposes that the measures in 2021, 2023, 2026 and 2029 should be transparently reviewed for their effectiveness - in order to be able to follow-up and increase the acceptance among the citizens.

Gap of 16 to 26 million tons

The Transport Commission should propose measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from currently just under 170 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) to less than 100 million tonnes in 2030. The current compromise would leave a gap of 16 to 26 million tonnes.

Environmentalists were disappointed accordingly. The working group was "far from it" with the interim report now achieved to fulfill their mission, it said.

The proposals of the working group are to be included in the interim report of the overall commission "National Platform Future of Mobility", which has a total of six working groups on different topics. Klima-AG is the commission for climate protection in traffic originally planned in the coalition agreement. The report of the "National Platform" could become the basis of action for the policy.

Greenhouse gas emissions from transport have not declined since 1990 and have even increased recently. Although the individual vehicles need less fuel and therefore emit less CO2, but more is driven and the number of cars has increased. In addition, gas-heavy heavy SUVs are booming.

By 2030, traffic emissions are expected to fall by 40 to 42 percent. This is the climate protection plan that the Union and the SPD are committed to in the coalition agreement. Later this year, the coalition wants to pass one law or several laws that will ensure that Germany achieves the 2030 climate change target - namely to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent overall compared to 1990 levels. All sectors must deliver, including transport.

Among others, the following groups are represented in the Traffic Commission: the BDI Industrial Association, the German Association of Cities, the IG Metall, Deutsche Bahn, the BUND, the bicycle club ADFC, the petroleum industry, the automobile industry association VDA, the German Nature Conservation Union (Nabu), the pro-Alliance Alliance Rail and the ADAC.