EU countries approve 2035 phaseout of CO2-emitting cars
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[March 30, 2023]
By Kate Abnett
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union countries gave final approval on
Tuesday to a landmark law to end sales of new CO2-emitting cars in 2035,
after Germany won an exemption for cars running on e-fuels.
The approval from EU countries' energy ministers means Europe's main
climate policy for cars can now enter into force - after weeks of delay
caused by last-minute opposition from Germany.
The EU law will require all new cars sold to have zero CO2 emissions
from 2035, and 55% lower CO2 emissions from 2030, versus 2021 levels.
The targets are designed to drive the rapid decarbonisation of new car
fleets in Europe.
The European Commission has pledged, however, to create a legal route
for sales of new cars that only run on e-fuels to continue after 2035,
after Germany demanded this exemption.
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The EU policy had been expected to make it impossible to sell combustion
engine cars in the EU from 2035. But the exemption won by Germany offers
a potential lifeline to traditional vehicles - although e-fuels are not
yet produced at scale.
German transport minister Volker Wissing said the agreement would "open
up important options for the population towards climate-neutral and
affordable mobility".
"The direction of travel is clear: in 2035, new cars and vans must have
zero emissions," EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans said.
E-fuels are considered carbon neutral because they are made using
captured CO2 emissions - which proponents say balances out the CO2
released when the fuel is combusted in an engine.
The Commission will, in autumn 2023, propose how sales of e-fuel-only
cars can continue after 2035. Such cars will have to use technology to
prevent them from starting when filled with petrol or diesel.
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An exhaust pipe of a car is pictured on
a street in a Berlin, Germany, February 22, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio
Bensch/File Photo
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Poland voted against the law, while Italy, Bulgaria and Romania
abstained.
Transport accounts for nearly a quarter of EU emissions.
Porsche and Ferrari are among the supporters of e-fuels, which they
see as a way to avoid their vehicles being weighed down by heavy
batteries.
Other carmakers including Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Ford are
betting on battery-electric vehicles to decarbonise.
Germany's late intervention, after EU countries and lawmakers had
already agreed the 2035 phaseout last year, irked some EU diplomats,
and stoked concerns that governments may try to block other
carefully-negotiated deals on climate policies.
"As a matter of principle, we don't like this approach. We think it
is not fair," Spanish energy minister Teresa Ribera said of the late
pushback, adding that current assessments suggest e-fuels were too
expensive to become widely used.
EU energy ministers also agreed on Tuesday to extend a voluntary
target to curb their gas use by 15% for 12 months, to help prepare
for next winter with scarce Russian gas.
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Some EU officials expected ministers to tackle a dispute over
whether nuclear energy should count towards EU renewable energy
targets - a question that has split countries and is threatening to
delay the EU's main renewables policy.
(Reporting by Kate Abnett; additional reporting by Friederike Heine,
Editing by Angus MacSwan and Mark Potter)
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