According to Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), the federal government will not agree to a ban on the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035 at EU level.
Lindner said on Tuesday at the Industry Day in Berlin that there will be regions of the world in which electromobility cannot be introduced for the next few decades.
If there is a ban on the new registration of the combustion engine, then it will not be further developed, at least not in Europe and Germany.
That's why he thinks a decision to ban the combustion engine de facto is wrong, said Lindner.
"I have therefore decided that I in the federal government, that we in the federal government, will not agree to this European legislation." Germany will not be able to agree to a de facto ban on the internal combustion engine.
Openness to technology is an essential part of the market economy.
Lindner and Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) had already made it clear that they rejected a ban on combustion engines.
But there is a dispute in the coalition about this.
A spokesman for Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) said: "The federal government fully supports the proposal of the Commission and the European Parliament to only allow new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles with zero-emission drives from 2035." It is now unclear how Germany will do at EU level will vote.
The EU Parliament wants to ban the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines from 2035.
A majority of MPs had voted in favor of manufacturers only being allowed to bring cars and vans onto the market that do not emit any climate-damaging greenhouse gases from the middle of the next decade.
Before such a regulation can come into force, however, Parliament still has to negotiate with the EU states.