In the future, only new cars that do not emit any greenhouse gases during operation are to be sold in the EU. The regulation is scheduled to come into force in 2035. Negotiators from the EU states and the European Parliament, both of whom have to approve new EU laws, and the European Commission, which is drafting new laws, agreed on this on Thursday evening, as the Czech Council Presidency announced. It should be possible to review the decision again in 2026.
The agreement represents a “historic decision by the EU for the climate,” said French MEP Pascal Canfin (48), who heads the EU Parliament’s environment committee. It stipulates that new cars with petrol and diesel engines should no longer be registered in the EU from 2035. This finally confirms the goal of “100 percent emission-free vehicles” by 2035, Canfin said. Intermediate steps are planned for the years 2025 and 2030.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (64) praised the agreement in the short message service Twitter as a “decisive milestone in achieving our climate target for 2030”. The regulations for new cars are part of a comprehensive climate protection package with which the EU intends to reduce its CO2 emissions by 55 percent by 2030.
Criticism came from the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). The agreement sets “ambitious goals” without advancing the necessary prerequisites to successfully master the transformation, explained VDA President Hildegard Müller (55). This applies in particular to the expansion of the charging infrastructure for e-cars.
Compromise on synthetic fuels
There should be exceptions for manufacturers who produce fewer than 10,000 cars a year – i.e. manufacturers of luxury cars like Ferrari. The agreement also leaves open the possibility that in future there will also be the green light for new cars with combustion engines powered by so-called e-fuels.
In Germany there had been a dispute in the Berlin traffic light coalition about the desired end for combustion engines. The Greens and SPD were in favor of banning new registrations for combustion engines from 2035, while the FDP insisted that technologies such as e-fuels should not be ruled out.
E-fuels are usually produced from water and CO2 using electricity. Whether this is environmentally friendly depends on where the electricity comes from and the effort involved in making the fuel available. In the EU Parliament, which agreed at the beginning of June to end the combustion engine from 2035, a greater importance for synthetic fuels was rejected.
FDP leader Christian Lindner (43) spoke of a “wise decision” with regard to the EU unification, which would ensure openness to technology. “One-sided political commitments to scientific and technical issues should be avoided,” he said on Twitter.