The ambassadors of the 27 EU countries have accepted the agreement reached between the European Commission and Germany on the end of thermal vehicles in 2035, with the exception of models running exclusively on non-emitting synthetic fuel.
After the agreement negotiated on Saturday between the European Commission and Germanythe ambassadors of the 27 EU countries approved on Monday the relaxation of the ban on combustion engines after 2035.
The text will force new cars to no longer emit CO2, effectively banning petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles, in favor of all-electric, with the exception of future synthetic fuels. It will be “put on the agenda” for a meeting of energy ministers on Tuesday for formal adoption, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU announced.
This text is part of the European objective of carbon neutrality in 2050.
Lifting of the blockade of Germany
The Commission had initially decided to outright ban the sale of new combustion engine vehicles beyond 2035. Germany had stunned its European partners in early March by blocking at the last moment this regulation providing for the reduction of CO2 emissions from new vehicles to zeroimposing de facto 100% electric engines from the middle of the next decade.
The country which is the leading European producer of vehicles has asked the Commission to present a proposal opening the way to vehicles running on synthetic fuels.
After three weeks of negotiations, the two parties agreed to ban the registration of thermal vehicles after 2035 unless they exclusively use neutral fuels in terms of CO2 emissions.
