German Transport Minister Volker Wissing sees negotiations with the EU Commission on the controversial phasing out of combustion engines on track.
The FDP politician said on Monday, ahead of the cabinet’s continued retreat in Meseberg, north of Berlin, with a view to the visit of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday: “We agreed that we had to achieve our goals of climate protection, but this the issue of openness to technology is also a very important factor. I see that we are on the right track because we are pursuing the same goals. Now we just need an answer on how we are really going to implement this.”
The EU vote on the planned end to new cars with combustion engines from 2035 was postponed on Friday due to additional demands from Germany. Wissing had said that Germany could not agree to such a general ban on combustion engines at the current time. The EU Commission is due to present a proposal on how climate-neutral synthetic fuels, so-called e-fuels, can be used in combustion engines after 2035.
Wissing said in Meseberg that time had passed which he would have preferred to use differently. But it’s not something that needs to be completed in a week. “Now you have to answer the question carefully: how openness to technology can be anchored in regulation. And once that question was clarified, we achieved our goal. My intention was always not to hold back, but to make sure we had good regulations receive.” According to his conviction, this only happens if the person is open to technology.