Status: 03/16/2023 10:14 p.m
Transport Minister Wissing has submitted a solution to the dispute over the planned end of combustion engines in new cars in Brussels. He is striving for a path that does not require the approval of the European Parliament and EU states.
In the dispute over the end of new cars with combustion engines, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has submitted a proposal for a solution to the EU Commission.
As can be seen from a letter from the minister’s office to the cabinet of Vice-Commissioner Frans Timmermans, Wissing is pushing for a path that does not require the approval of the European Parliament and the EU states. At the same time, he calls for “short-term legally binding steps,” as the letter says ARD studio Brussels present.
“Delegated act” to supplement
Specifically, Wissing proposes a so-called delegated act that would supplement the currently blocked combustion engine agreement. The compromise reached would therefore not have to be changed. The European Commission can pass such a legal act, following which Parliament and EU states have two months to raise objections.
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU states had actually already agreed in autumn that only emission-free new cars may be registered in the EU from 2035. A confirmation by the EU states that was scheduled for last week was canceled due to additional demands from Germany.
In particular, the FDP is urging that new cars with combustion engines that use artificial fuels produced with green electricity, so-called e-fuels, may still be registered following 2035.
New vehicle category for e-fuels
The approach of the Wissing-Haus now envisages creating the possibility for a new vehicle category only for e-fuels within the framework of the existing Euro 6 emissions standard. When the law to phase out combustion engines comes into force, a delegated act should allow these “e-fuels only” vehicles to be offset once morest the fleet target values.
The so-called fleet limits are specifications for manufacturers as to how many greenhouse gases newly built cars are allowed to emit during operation. It is actually planned that this value should drop to zero in 2035, which de facto means the end of new combustion engines.
However, there are exceptions, for example for special vehicles such as emergency vehicles or wheelchair-accessible cars. Finally, “in a suitable legal framework”, a definition for completely CO2-neutral fuels should be created, according to the letter. The ministry is asking the commission to “develop an ambitious and binding schedule.”
E-fuels are considered climate-neutral, but have so far been more than twice as expensive as conventional fuels. Premium manufacturers such as Porsche and BMW had recently campaigned for e-fuels.
Timmermans ready for “interpretation” of the agreement
Timmermans had fought for years to convince member states to end combustion engines, forged parliamentary majorities – the fact that Wissing of all people was on the brakes annoyed him.
Nevertheless, Timmermans indicated that a face-saving solution was possible. “I’m confident that we can find a way,” said the Dutch commissioner, “towards an interpretation of the agreement that also satisfies the German authorities.”
In other words, the agreement remains that it should not be opened once more under any circumstances. It should just be interpreted differently. However, it is still unclear what that might look like.
With information from Helga Schmidt, ARD studio in Brussels
