The frustration that prevails in Brussels is understandable. Yes, the German government first agreed to the end of combustion engines during negotiations with the EU Commission, the EU Parliament and the 26 other EU countries. And yes, Transport Minister Volker Wissing came much too late with his objection that we should please continue to allow cars that fill up with e-fuels, i.e. climate-friendly fuels. But that’s only half the story.
The truth is also that the European Commission apparently turned Wissing down several times during the negotiations. Maybe out of ideological stubbornness, maybe out of arrogance.
It was probably a mixture of both. The FDP politician did not question the big picture at all. He expressed no doubts about the so-called Green Deal, i.e. Europe’s goal of becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by the middle of the century.
Wissing demanded openness to technology. Everything that can help against global warming, he thinks, should at least be considered, including synthetic fuels. But in Brussels it was not taken seriously.
When asked by WELT, the office of the responsible Commissioner Frans Timmermans recently said: There had been two attempts to organize a meeting with Wissing on the subject, but it had to be canceled because Timmermans had been traveling both times. Is that the right way to deal with the concerns of an EU country in which the combustion engine is part of the economic DNA? Hardly likely.
The EU Commission wants electric cars, nothing else. The words “combustion engine” and “green deal” do not go together in the world view of the Brussels authorities. Now it has to make e-fuels possible after all. Because in the end Germany managed to rally around allies, mainly Italy, Austria, Bulgaria and Poland.
The countries prevailed, despite all the nagging from other governments, despite the pressure they faced at last week’s EU summit. It remains to be seen whether cars that run on e-fuels have a chance in practice. The production of climate-friendly fuel is still complex and expensive. But who says that won’t change in the coming years? After all, the e-fuels deal opens up the opportunity for this.
