Until recently, it was unclear what position the German government would take at the crucial meeting of EU environment ministers on the future of the internal combustion engine.

Would Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) vote in Luxembourg for the out, as the federal government has done for months?

Or would she initially abstain after the clear “no” from Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) a week ago and advocate a compromise, such as allowing new cars with combustion engines fueled with e-fuels to be sold on?

Henrik Kafsack

Business correspondent in Brussels.

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The coalition discipline actually left her no choice.

The iron rule applies here: If the government does not have a coordinated position, it must abstain in the Council of Ministers.

There have been no other signals from the Ministry of the Environment in the past few days.

There was speculation as to whether Lemke would agree to the EU plans to end the combustion engine if necessary without the backing of the federal government.

That would not be a precedent: in 2017, the then Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt (CSU) voted for a longer use of the controversial pesticide glyphosate at EU level, despite a veto from the Ministry of the Environment.

However, one does not want such an escalation of the coalition dispute, it said.

Suddenly Lemke sounded completely different

It was all the more puzzling that Lemke announced in an interview with the “ZDF-Morgenmagazin” on Tuesday morning before the start of the ministerial meeting in Luxembourg that he would agree to the end of the combustion engine.

"It is important to me that the federal government will support the Commission here in Luxembourg today with the goal that from 2035 no more cars will be registered that emit CO2," she said.

"That is the line that the federal government has represented here in the last few weeks and months, which is also laid down in the coalition agreement." In addition, it must be made clear that other fuels can also be used outside of the passenger car sector.

She mentioned fire engines as well as shipping and air transport.

She was apparently trying to give the impression that the FDP's concerns were being taken into account.

In fact, however, this corresponds to the Commission proposal anyway.

Climate protectors cheered.

Two government sources have confirmed that the federal government will support the end of combustion engines in 2035, Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), who is attending the meeting in Luxembourg together with Lemke, supports Lemke, according to Berlin.

But when Lemke appeared in front of the media a short time later at the start of the ministerial meeting in the Luxembourg Council building, she suddenly sounded very different.

She initially spoke primarily about deforestation-free supply chains and the restoration of ecosystems and the other climate dossiers that are on the agenda of the environment ministers on Tuesday.

But then she said: "We will be holding talks and negotiations here on the line of the coalition agreement and the line that the federal government has agreed with one another, so that the Commission can develop a mechanism here on how CO2 reduction can also happen in the future, but also openness to technology is guaranteed.”

And then again: "We represent the common line of the federal government, which on the one hand wants to support a strong CO2 reduction for the transport sector and on the other hand wants to guarantee openness to technology."

That sounded completely different and no longer as if she would advocate an end to combustion engines in 2035, but rather according to the FDP's demand to at least enable the use of so-called synthetic fuels or e-fuels in new cars after 2035 .

Apparently someone had intervened after Lemke's ZDF interview.

There is no other way to explain why the Environment Minister reformulated her position in this way.

Germany cannot stop the end of combustion engines alone

Much will now depend on how the talks between the environment ministers go.

The French EU Council Presidency, which is leading the negotiations, initially presented a compromise proposal that largely corresponds to the Commission's proposal to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars by 100 percent by 2035, i.e. then to no longer allow any new combustion engines.

Germany cannot stop the end of combustion engines alone.

However, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Portugal and Slovakia are also pushing for a reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars “only” by 90 percent – ​​compared to the current 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

The car companies would then still have to convert the majority of their fleets to electric vehicles, but they could at least sell some combustion engines or hybrid vehicles.

In addition, the five countries require that synthetic fuels or e-fuels be counted towards achieving the targets.

Poland also made it clear before the meeting that it would not support an end to combustion engines in 2035.

But these countries can only block this if Germany at least abstains.

According to the French EU Council Presidency, the environment ministers should not only reach an agreement on the future of the internal combustion engine on Tuesday, but also adopt a whole package of laws from the EU Commission’s “Fit for 55” climate package of July 2021.

This also includes the reform of EU emissions trading and the controversial extension to buildings and transport.

It is also still disputed how much money the EU is making available to the states from the income from emissions trading via a new climate social fund to cushion the consequences of higher heating and fuel costs for socially disadvantaged households.

The federal government is pushing for severe cuts here, which is met with fierce criticism in Eastern Europe and other member states.

"We are preparing for a long day or even a short night," said Habeck and Lemke before the meeting.