This time, there have been no surprises. The Swedish presidency of the European Union has successfully voted today on new European legislation on CO2 emissions from private vehicles, which will lead to the retirement of combustion engines as we know them today from 2035. The opposition of Germany at the last minute to this regulation, when it had already been agreed by the Council and Parliament, forced at the beginning of the month to withdraw the matter from the agenda of the meeting of the ambassadors of the Twenty-seven, the Coreper, because without their support there was not a sufficient majority to move it forward. The agreement “will be included in the agenda of the Council of Ministers of Transport and Energy for its final approval” tomorrow, the Swedish presidency reported.
After weeks of intense negotiations, the European Commission reached an agreement this Saturday with the German government to create a new specific category of vehicles with combustion engines that run on synthetic fuels, without reopening the debate on the main regulations. sale will be authorized beyond 2035. During the processing of the original regulations, at the request of Berlin and Rome, it was already agreed that in the year 2026, when a review is planned, this option will be assessed but the German Ministry of Transport, in the hands of the liberal party, demanded at the last minute that the alternative be considered now, without having to wait several years for its processing.
Although the bulk of the European automobile industry has opted for the electric car or from hydrogen cells to make the energy transition, high-end brands such as Porsche, BMW or Ferrari want to investigate the use of synthetic fuels. Although Brussels has barely provided details in this regard, the compromise reached provides legal certainty regarding the future of this technology, currently very expensive and underdeveloped, while forcing manufacturers to ensure that the engine will not start if gasoline or diesel is used. This will ensure that from 2035 no newly registered car emits carbon dioxide, the objective that the EU set for itself with the new legislation.
As a result of the unexpected German revolt, the Italian government, also against the regulations, had asked to reopen the debate to also seek accommodation for biofuels, a request that has not been met. After today’s vote in Coreper, the agreement will be included in the agenda of the meeting of transport and energy ministers that will take place tomorrow in Brussels but as ‘item A’, that is, without debate. Yes, as a mere formality. From that moment on, the new regulations may be published in the Official Journal of the European Communities and will enter into force.
Community legislation contains a review clause so that in 2026 the market situation is evaluated and adjustments are not ruled out in the cut-off date for the registration of vehicles that emit CO2, 2035. In any case, the European Commissioner for Industry, Thierry Breton, recalled that the European industry will be able to continue selling conventional vehicles outside the EU as long as the rest of the world does not adopt similar regulations.
