End of thermal engine cars: Germany delays EU green light

Europe 1 with AFP 2:05 p.m., March 3, 2023

The vote of EU member states scheduled for Tuesday to ratify the ban on the sale of thermal engine cars in 2035 has been postponed

, the announced abstention of Germany preventing the necessary majority from being reached.

This text providing for the reduction to zero of CO2 emissions from new cars and vans in Europe from 2035 was the subject of an agreement in October between Member States and European Parliament negotiators, formally approved in mid-February by MEPs .

It was still to be ratified on Tuesday by the Twenty-Seven, during a meeting of ministers in Brussels, the last formal step before its entry into force, without the possibility now of renegotiating the content.

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The ambassadors "will return to this subject in due course"

The ambassadors of the Twenty-Seven in Brussels have "decided to postpone the decision (...) to a later meeting", announced a spokesperson for the representation of Sweden, the country which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU.

The ambassadors "will come back to this subject in due course", he added.

Italy had announced its opposition to the text a long time ago.

Poland also wanted to vote against and Bulgaria wanted to abstain.

These countries, between them, do not have the means to block the procedure.

But Berlin has indicated in recent days its intention not to grant the green light immediately either.

Without Germany, the qualified majority of the Twenty-Seven which is required (favourable vote of at least 55% of the States representing at least 65% of the population of the EU)

The alternative of e-fuels?

“We have always made it clear that the European Commission must present a proposal on how synthetic fuels could be used in combustion engines after 2035 (…) What is missing now is the fulfillment of this commitment “, recalled on Friday the German Minister of Transport, Volker Wissing (FDP, liberals).

At the request of Rome and Berlin, the Twenty-Seven included in the text a possible green light in the future for alternative technologies such as synthetic fuels (e-fuels) if these make it possible to achieve the objective of eliminating completely the greenhouse gas emissions of vehicles.

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Synthetic fuel technology, currently under development, consists of producing fuel from CO2 produced in particular by industrial activities using low-carbon electricity.

For the automotive sector, it would extend the use of thermal engines threatened by the emergence of 100% electric vehicles.

The use of this technology in the automobile is disputed because it is very energy-intensive.

Berlin wants the Commission to propose additional legislation to encourage these synthetic fuels in road transport while another text on "alternative fuels infrastructure" is under negotiation.