Despite resistance from the German government, a final vote on banning the registration of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 should finally be held in the EU next Tuesday. A spokesman for the Swedish Presidency of the Council of Ministers announced on Wednesday that it wishes to proceed as planned.
Only one preparatory meeting for voting was postponed from Wednesday to Friday. The plan is to make the final decision at a ministerial meeting on Tuesday.
German Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) recently threatened that Germany would not be able to agree to the planned vote. In that case, the required majority may fall. Voting is required from at least 15 countries representing at least 65% of the EU population. In fact, negotiators from the European Parliament and EU states had already agreed in October that, from 2035, only new cars can be sold in the EU that do not emit greenhouse gases during operation. Votes like Tuesday’s are usually a formality.
Wissing justified his remarks with the fact that the EU Commission has not yet put forward a proposal on how only vehicles powered by green fuels, such as e-fuels, can be approved after 2035. This was part of the agreement in the EU Council of States EU in June 2022, which the FDP could be persuaded to agree with the German government.
The Presidency spokesperson has now stressed that there was no reason to believe that the Commission would not come forward with this proposal. The EU Commission had already said on Tuesday that the responsible vice-president of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, had already expressed his support for this aspect in the summer. At the same time, Timmermans emphasized that the EU Commission had the right to initiate legislation.
If it becomes clear at the ambassadors’ meeting on Friday that the necessary majority will not be reached, the Presidency of the Council may withdraw the matter from the agenda of the ministerial meeting. (apa/dpa)