The 27 EU Member States approved overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday the European Commission’s plan to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars in Europe to zero from 2035. This measure de facto imposes the end of engines thermal.
This measure should contribute to achieving the continent’s climate objectives, in particular carbon neutrality by 2050.
At the request of a few countries, including Germany and Italy, the Twenty-Seven have however agreed to consider a possible green light in the future for alternative techniques, such as synthetic fuels or rechargeable hybrid engines if those these make it possible to achieve the objective of completely eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.
“Amendement Ferrari”
European environment ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, also approved a five-year extension of the exemption from CO2 obligations granted to “niche” manufacturers or those producing fewer than 10,000 vehicles per year, up to at the end of 2035. This clause, sometimes called the “Ferrari amendment”, will particularly benefit luxury brands.
These measures must now be negotiated with MEPs, who also determined their position on the EU executive’s proposal this month. “This is a great challenge for our automotive industry,” acknowledged French Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, who chaired Tuesday’s meeting.
However, she felt that it was a “necessity” in the face of Chinese and American competition, which have largely bet on electric vehicles considered to be the future of the industry. These “upstream” decisions will “allow a planned and accompanied transition”, added the minister.
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