The federal government expects a quick solution to the dispute over the end of new cars with internal combustion engines in the EU.
Minister of State for Europe Anna Lührmann (Greens) said in Brussels on Tuesday that she assumed that the issue would be resolved before the EU summit that began on Thursday. She took part in a ministerial meeting for the federal government, at which the meeting of the heads of state and government was being prepared.
Actually, negotiators in the European Parliament and the EU states had already agreed in autumn that only zero-emission new cars would be allowed to be registered in the EU from 2035. A confirmation of the so-called trilogue result by the EU states, which was planned for the beginning of March, was canceled due to additional demands from Germany.
The FDP in particular is urging that even after 2035, new cars with combustion engines that refuel with climate-neutral e-fuels may still be registered. The party primarily refers to a so-called recital in the agreement, which provides for certain exceptions for combustion engines with e-fuels.
E-fuels are therefore mentioned in the October agreement between the EU Parliament and the member states in an additional passage that was urged by the FDP. This states that the EU Commission should examine whether vehicles with e-fuel-capable combustion engines could be approved in the future. However, this is not a legal guarantee for an exception for synthetic fuels.
From the point of view of the FDP, it would be conceivable to insert a passage on synthetic fuels in the legal text for the existing Euro 6 emissions standard in order to enable the new registration of combustion engines beyond the year 2035. This means that the law on the combustion engine exit would not have to be unraveled again and negotiated by the European Parliament. In terms of content, the Commission has not yet agreed to this initiative.
Lührmann now emphasized that it was agreed that the trialogue result would apply. At the same time, the federal government is talking to the EU Commission about how the recital will be implemented in practice.
The French Secretary of State for Europe, Laurence Boone, also reiterated the Paris stance on Tuesday that there was an agreement. “I think we should stick to what has been agreed.”
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