The European Commission “welcomed” on Thursday that EU ministers gave the final blessing for new emissions standards. “The text I negotiated for the European Parliament remains unchanged and sets a clear target for zero-emission new cars by 2035,” replies Liberal MEP Jan Huitema. From January 1, 2035, only CO2-free new cars and small trucks may be sold, but e-fuels are still hotly debated.
The new rules were met with protests from several member states, including Italy, Poland and, at the last minute, Germany. As a result, the final vote by European ministers was postponed. It was only after a political agreement had been reached between the Germans and the Commission that a vote was taken. In the end, only Italy, Poland and Finland officially protested the vote, but that wasn’t enough to stop the legislation.
Rules apply from next month, deadline 2035
The regulation, which will come into force across the EU next month, states that from 2035 new cars and light trucks may emit 100 percent less CO2 than in 2021. On paper, this means that on December 31, 2034 you could still buy a car that emits little CO2, but the day after you can only buy CO2-free cars.
In practice, the aim of the various European institutions is for the car industry to build so many cars that emit little or no CO2 that they are cheaper for consumers by then. The Council of the European Union hopes so. These do not necessarily have to be electric cars – the text also mentions hydrogen cars – but in practice it will matter. Many car brands are already investing heavily in these.
Germany wants e-fuels
What Germany was able to get out of the fire after the liberal Minister of Transport got in each other’s way is a sentence that has been in the text for months: “After consultation with those involved, the Commission will present a proposal for the registration after 2035 of vehicles that exclusively run on CO2-neutral fuels in accordance with Union law, outside the scope of vehicle fleet standards and in line with the Union’s objective of achieving climate neutrality.”
This applies to the famous e-fuels: fuels that are produced by chemical plants from CO2 captured elsewhere. CO2 still comes out of the exhaust, but that must have been removed from the air during the manufacture of the e-fuels.
The Commission promises to work on this as soon as the legislation is in force. To do this, it wants to use a so-called “delegated act” or an amendment to existing laws. They don’t have to go through the whole complex process like other legislative changes, but the European Parliament and Member States can object.
There will still be discussions
A seed for future conflicts was thus sown immediately. MP Huitema already referred to this in his reaction on Tuesday: “Possible future proposals for the use of e-fuels will be thoroughly examined, both in terms of content and law.”
Should the Commission’s proposal be rejected by Parliament or the member states, it would take “another legislative path”, the EU Executive Board has already said. So to be continued.
Source : HLN