Germany and Italy have caused disruption to a proposed European Union to ban on new petrol and diesel cars as they demand exceptions to protect their influential automobile industries.
Diplomats from the EU have had to postpone a critical vote on the proposition to prohibit the production of combustion engine cars across the bloc from 2035, following a sudden rebellion from the two nations. Although the plans were preliminarily approved last year, preventing the sale of new cars unless they are “zero emissions,” they still necessitate final approval from member states.
Germany and its supporters are seeking an exemption for vehicles running on e-fuels, such as kerosene made from waste, which some manufacturers are developing. The delay has compelled EU officials to defer a scheduled vote on Tuesday, as the laws cannot proceed without the support of Berlin, resulting in a split within Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government, with his FDP partners demanding that the EU’s plans be relaxed.
Volker Wissing, the FDP transport minister, stated: “It is contradictory when the EU Commission calls for high climate protection targets on the one hand, but on the other hand makes it more difficult to achieve these targets through overambitious regulation.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to meet with Mr. Scholz over the weekend, as diplomats scramble to resolve the conflict. Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, welcomed the delay, adding: “The voice of millions of Italians has been heard.”
The last-minute obstruction is highly atypical, with the impending vote previously deemed a formality.
