It was still to be ratified on Tuesday by the Twenty-Seven, during a meeting of ministers in Brussels, the last formal step before its entry into force, without the possibility now of renegotiating the content.
The ambassadors of the Twenty-Seven in Brussels have “decided to postpone the decision […] at a later meeting”, announced a spokesperson for the representation of Sweden, the country which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. The ambassadors “will return to this subject in due course”, he added.
Panic in Brussels
Italy had announced its opposition to the text a long time ago. Poland also wanted to vote against and Bulgaria wanted to abstain. These countries, between them, do not have the means to block the procedure. But Berlin has indicated in recent days its intention not to grant the green light immediately either. Without Germany, the qualified majority of the Twenty-Seven which is required (favourable vote of at least 55% of the States representing at least 65% of the population of the EU) was no longer achieved.
“We have always made it clear that the European Commission must present a proposal on how synthetic fuels could be used in combustion engines after 2035 […]. What is missing now is the fulfillment of this commitment,” German Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP, Liberals) recalled on Friday.
At the request of Rome and Berlin, the Twenty-Seven included in the text a possible green light in the future for alternative technologies such as synthetic fuels (e-fuels) if these make it possible to achieve the objective of eliminating completely the greenhouse gas emissions of vehicles.
Third way
Synthetic fuel technology, currently under development, consists of producing fuel from CO2 produced in particular by industrial activities using low-carbon electricity. For the automotive sector, it would extend the use of thermal engines threatened by the emergence of 100% electric vehicles. The use of this technology in the automobile is disputed because it is very energy-intensive.
Berlin wants the Commission to propose additional legislation to encourage these synthetic fuels in road transport while another text on “alternative fuels infrastructure” is under negotiation.