German Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) maintained the view that Germany could not agree to the planned ban at the current time. In Berlin, Wissing reiterated the demand that the EU Commission come forward with a proposal on how climate-neutral synthetic fuels (e-fuels) can be used in combustion engines after 2035. corresponding.
Without Germany’s approval, Tuesday’s planned vote could have failed. Passing the law requires the approval of 15 of the 27 member states, which together must represent at least 65% of the total EU population. In addition to Germany, countries such as Italy, Poland and Bulgaria have recently been unwilling to agree to the plans. The 65 percent hurdle would not have been reached without Germany.
Coreper I decided to postpone the decision on the 2035 car emissions target from 7 March to a forthcoming Council meeting. Coreper will revert to the issue in due course.
— Daniel Holmberg (@danielholmberg) March 3, 2023
Voting was considered a formality.
In fact, negotiators from the European Parliament and EU states had already agreed in October that from 2035 only new cars that do not emit greenhouse gases during operation can be sold in the EU. The pending vote of the EU states is the last step in the legislative process and is actually a formality.
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Earlier in the week, Wissing announced opposition to the project and threatened that Germany might not agree. He justified this by saying that the EU Commission had not yet come up with a proposal on how only vehicles powered by climate-neutral fuels such as e-fuels could be approved after 2035. This was part of the agreement in the EU Council of States in June 2022, which the FDP could be persuaded to agree with the German federal government. Such a late intervention is unusual in Brussels.
Portal/Christian Mang German Transport Minister Volker Wissing has announced opposition to the project
Disputed “traffic light”
Green Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Sven Giegold, agreed with the FDP: “As Germany, we have always said: we support the end of the old conventional combustion engines, but we want a solution for these combustion engines outside the fleet limits, or that is, outside this law, which can only be used with sustainable e-fuels”, Giegold said on Thursday. The EU Commission must now convince all coalition partners that such measures are being taken, he demanded.
The SPD, the third coalition partner, was upset with the discussion in the Funke group’s newspapers. “The phantom debate on the use of electronic fuels for combustion engines ignores the facts,” parliamentary group leader Detlef Müller told newspapers of the Funke media group. The auto industry is also focusing on electromobility, e-fuels are only available in limited quantities, are expensive and inefficient.
Graphics: APA/ORF; Source: APA/Federal Environment Agency
Brussels is struggling to find a face-saving solution
In Brussels, the postponement is seen as an opportunity to find a face-saving solution behind the scenes. For example, the EU Commission, under German President Ursula von der Leyen, could give assurances to the FDP on the use of e-fuels.
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Thomas Waitz, MEP for the Austrian Greens, reacted angrily to the blockade. The end of combustion engines to new registrations scheduled for 2035 is a “central piece of the puzzle for the EU Green Deal and in the fight against the climate crisis”. “The boycott of member states after successful and difficult negotiations is not only completely incomprehensible, but also a democratic affront,” the broadcast continued.
On the other hand, ÖVP MEP Barbara Thaler sees the move as a “first breath of fresh air towards a real openness to technology in the EU as an industrial location”. “Now we have a chance to avoid a historic wrong decision after all,” said the politician. The FPÖ also welcomed the postponement of the vote. Liberal MEP Roman Haider sees the ban on combustion engines as a “shot in the foot”.
Audi boss fears for planning security
“In the political discussion, we see the risk that the EU’s clear decision to phase out combustion engines by 2035 will be called into question again,” Audi boss Markus Duesmann told SPIEGEL. “This harbors the danger of a stalemate, and that would be fatal for the auto industry.” The head of Audi emphasized the need to plan for safety for the auto industry and its multi-billion dollar investments.
German economist against FDP’s e-fuels plans
According to DIW expert Claudia Kemfert, the FDP is on the wrong track with its criticism of the planned European end of combustion engines. The combustion engine turned off is absolutely correct. “It is also late,” the economist at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) told the Portal news agency on Thursday.
Ecological fuels – e-fuels – would not make any sense. They would have to be produced with a lot of green electricity, which would be better to use directly for electric cars. Almost all car manufacturers have consistently switched to electric mobility. The market has long developed in a different direction. “Well, you’re riding a dead horse.”