Germany and the EU agree in the combustion dispute: Even after 2035, new cars with an internal combustion engine can be approved.
This is the plan:
Germany and the EU have settled their dispute over the burner.
“We have found an agreement with Germany about the future use of e-fuel in cars,” tweeted the Vice President of the EU Commission, Frans Timmermans, on Saturday.
“The path is free: Europe remains technology -neutral,” said Germany’s transport minister Volker Wissing on Twitter.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) was pleased with the steering of the EU Commission.
Nehammer against burner ban
“This is what we wanted and what we campaigned for,” said Nehammer in a broadcast.
In the past few weeks, Austria had fought on the side with Germany against a ban on combustion engines from 2035.
“It is about progress, not about bans. The internal combustion engine has a future when we make it a green combustion and develop technologies such as e-fuel or hydrogen drives,” said the Chancellor.
“It is good and correct that the EU Commission has now given up,” said Nehammer.
“This remains open to advanced and climate -friendly technologies in the green internal combustion engine.”
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Germany and EU agree in the dispute over burner-in
The Germany’s Minister of Transport Volker Wissing and EU Commission Vice Frans Timmermans shared on Twitter.
Nehammer for ‘Green Combustion’
The dispute over the planned out of 2035 from 2035 dominates the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Compromise in the dispute over burner-in
Nehammer is against burners-but there is a compromise.
EU summit: Chancellor stands against burners
Today the EU heads and government heads come to the summit.
“It is good that there is now an agreement and that the way towards CO2-neutral mobility is no longer blocked,” reacted Minister of Climate Protection Leonore Gewessler (Greens).
But that a loophole is needed to get the “consent of the brakers and blockers who mourn the old fossil ideology, is a shame and will weaken Europe’s auto industry”.
Further approval for burners
Vehicles with an internal combustion engine could also be re-approved after 2035 if they only refueled CO2-neutral fuels.
A specific procedural path and schedule were binding.
In a first step, a category should be created purely with e-fuel and then integrated into the fleet limit regulation.
That should be completed by autumn 2024.
Without Germany’s approval, the planned combustion engine from 2035 would not be possible.
Last year Wissing had enforced a passage for a compromise in the negotiations between the Commission, the EU countries and the European Parliament, according to which the Brussels authority is asked for a proposal to the e-fuel.
This passage is not legally binding.
The Commission only wanted to publish it after the formal decision of the states.
Agreement via e-fuel
Wissing then surprisingly demanded an agreement on the e-fuel.
The hanging section also endangered significant parts of the EU climate protection program “Fit for 55” because the individual elements have connections.
In Brussels, the German approach caused significant annoyance.
In the meantime, however, other countries expressed their concerns.
So Italy also spoke in favor of admission of biosprit cars.
So far, e-fueles have hardly been produced and are considered scarce, expensive and inefficient.
Therefore, according to the will of the EU Commission, they should be reserved primarily for shipping or air traffic, which cannot be operated directly with electricity.
A study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) is not sufficient for the 2035 expected production quantity in order to meet the need in these areas alone.
Nothing would be left for cars anyway, even if all the hoped -for production capacities could be exploited.
The European Parliament and EU countries had already agreed in October that only emission-free new cars may be approved in the EU from 2035 from 2035.
For Germany, however, it is important that new cars with combustion engines can also be approved afterwards that refuel e -fuel – i.e. climate -neutral artificial fuels that are generated with green electricity.
A confirmation of the EU states’ agreement provided for at the beginning of March was therefore initially prevented by Germany.
Since then, Germany’s Ministry of Transport and the EU Commission has been negotiating a compromise.
Many EU partners had irritated to German behavior in the dispute.
On Thursday, for example, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins spoke of a “very, very difficult sign for the future” on the edge of the EU summit.
It was surprising that a government suddenly decides differently after an agreement has already been made.
Karins warned: “The entire architecture of decision -making would fall apart if we were all doing it.”
Diplomats in Brussels said more clearly behind the scenes.
You accuse Germany of a breach of trust.
