EU member states today delayed formal approval, planned for 7 March, of legislation that would effectively prohibit internal combustion engines (ICE) in new vehicles.
Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The provisional agenda for the EU’s council of ministers had included the adoption of revisions to a 2019 EU regulation that would set a 100pc CO2 cut for new passenger vehicles and vans from 2035. The revised regulation also aims to cut average emissions for new cars by 55pc and for new vans by 50pc by 2030.
Parliament formally adopted the revised regulation on 14 February, the same day as the European Commission proposed a CO2 reduction target of 90pc for heavy-duty vehicles from 2040, essentially all but a ban on new ICE trucks.
Philippe Lamberts MEP, Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, comments:
“The debate on the combustion car phase-out is an absurd spectacle that is already causing great damage in the EU. Germany has already agreed to the combustion engine phase-out in Brussels. The last vote is actually only the confirmation of a position that has already been decided. Germany must remain a reliable European partner.”
Bas Eickhout MEP, Greens/EFA Group negotiator in the European Parliament’s lead Environment Committee, comments:
“The phasing out of the combustion engine must not fail because the policies of governments such as Germany, Poland, and Italy are being driven by car industry lobbyists. FDP cannot change the vote that has already been given. Germany has to stay a reliable partner.”