The EU Parliament apparently agrees on easing the ban on combustion engines

According to information from “Spiegel”, negotiators from conservatives, social democrats and liberals in the European Parliament have agreed on a compromise to relax the ban on combustion engines. The representatives of the EPP, S&D and Renew Europe groups agreed on new CO2 requirements for new cars on Tuesday night.

According to this, CO2 emissions from new cars in the EU should only decrease by 87.5 percent by 2035 compared to the starting year of 2021. If the line prevails, manufacturers will be able to sell new cars with combustion engines and hybrid vehicles after 2035 without risking fines running into billions.

On Friday, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and French President Emmanuel Macron had already announced a common position for both countries. According to this, the reduction target should fall from 100 to 90 percent from 2035 without the manufacturers having to compensate for the remaining ten percent. In addition, the requirements for the proportion of car parts manufactured in Europe are to increase gradually. Merz summarized the agreement with Paris as follows: “The end of combustion engines will then be history.”

Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger (CDU) called the ban on combustion engines in its current form a mistake. “The federal government is delivering what it promised: a correction of the previous course and more openness to technology,” he said, according to his ministry. Bilger told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” that Germany is well positioned with its public charging network. “But other countries in Europe, to which the ban on combustion engines should also apply, still have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to expanding their charging infrastructure.” In many export markets, the switch to electric cars will also take longer.

The German-French paper met with a mixed response in the automotive industry. A Volkswagen spokesman spoke of a strong signal for Europe: “The proposal from Berlin and Paris is a great success.” There has so far been no reaction to the compromise paper from Brussels.

The compromise is not yet official in parliament anyway. The three factions that together form the so-called center platform still have to deal with the outcome of the negotiations. According to “Spiegel”, this could pave the way for the EU institutions to agree on new limit values. In parallel, the member states deliberate; Franco-German understanding could enable a majority in the Council. The reform cannot come into force without the consent of Parliament and member states.