FAZ early thinkers: Is the first rate hike coming in 11 years?

1. European Parliament wants to ban combustion engines

2. Federal government plans wind-on-shore law

3. Captured Ukrainian soldiers transferred to Russia

Philip Eppelsheim

Deputy Editor-in-Chief for News and Politics Online.

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1. The European Parliament wants to ban combustion engines

In the fight for more climate protection, the European Parliament wants to ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035.

Negotiations:

 On Wednesday evening in Strasbourg, a majority of MPs voted in favor of the fact that from the middle of the next decade manufacturers will only be allowed to bring cars and vans onto the market that do not emit any greenhouse gases that are harmful to the climate.

Before such a regulation can come into force, Parliament still has to negotiate with the EU states.

At the end of the month, the EU countries want to determine their position on the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars.

Commitment:

 Germany has already committed itself to the exit date of 2035.

Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) said in Brussels in March on behalf of the federal government that the goal of ending the use of combustion engines in cars and vans by 2035 was supported.

At the world climate conference in Glasgow in November, several major car manufacturers, including Mercedes and Ford, called for a sales ban on combustion engines in the leading markets from 2035.

Surprising rejection:

 The EU Parliament surprisingly rejected the Commission's proposal to tighten EU emissions trading, thereby slowing down the rapid implementation of the "Fit for 55" climate package.

With the package, the EU should reduce CO2 emissions by 55 percent by 2030.

After the Greens and Social Democrats were unable to push through some of their ideas for a greater reduction in CO2 values, they voted against the entire package in the final vote.

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2. Federal government plans wind-on-shore law

It aims to ensure that at least 1.4 percent of Germany's land area is available for wind turbines by 2026 and two percent by 2032

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Area specifications:

 The plans envisage giving the federal states area specifications depending on their potential.

The city-states are included the least, Brandenburg, Hesse, Saxony and Thuringia the most.

The expansion of wind energy is "a question of national security and crucial to both strengthening independence from fossil imports and achieving climate targets," says a formulation aid for the traffic light groups in the Bundestag.

"Each federal state has to make its own contribution to this." So far, only 0.8 percent has been reported and 0.5 percent is actually available.

Strict rules:

 So far, the expansion has also failed due to state laws that stipulate a minimum distance of up to a thousand meters between wind turbines and buildings;

the rule is particularly strict in Bavaria.

These rules should only continue to apply regionally if the area targets are achieved.

Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) said that the expansion of renewables is as important for climate protection as it is for reasonable energy prices.

Bavaria's head of department Hubert Aiwanger (free voters) said about the new regulations: "We can deal with that."