Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) French President Emmanuel Macron is to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday to discuss how to proceed with the green push.
Germany wants EU rules to allow the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines beyond 2035 while France wants the bloc to include nuclear energy in the transition towards renewables, according to France24 reporting on Thursday.
The European Commission wants to ban the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines to reach its climate targets, with the German car industry calling for exceptions for synthetic fuels that are still under development.
Germany called for amending the rules after EU bodies approved them, which France criticized as “a revolt” against the planned ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines.
An EU diplomat noted that “it is above all a German affair and an internal debate in German politics” that has spilled over to the EU. “It’s not a good look to return to a debate when the European Parliament and European Council have agreed on a deal… we cannot run things like this,” the diplomat concluded.
Germany is not alone in the push to amend the ban – Hungary, Italy, and Poland have called for amending the rules as well.
France’s nuclear push
At the same time, France has been pushing for the inclusion of nuclear energy in the EU’s plans to move towards renewables. The country has traditionally relied on nuclear energy to generate roughly 70% of its electricity.
Earlier this month, the EC presented plans to increase the production of green energy in the EU by removing bureaucratic obstacles to projects and improving access to funding.
Nuclear power is included on the list, but only when it comes to generation IV reactors, which are still under development. According to a French government source, Macron will “focus on the role of nuclear in decarbonization” at his meeting with Scholz later this week.
A senior EU diplomat pointed out that Paris and Berlin do not see eye to eye on a range of environmental plans and added “we don’t expect a spectacular breakthrough on any specific issue.”