The decision was long to take, populated by dramatic events, but in the end MEPs voted this Wednesday in favor of banning the sale of new thermal cars on the Old Continent from 2035. The day was shaping up to be historic for European Union (EU) climate policy. It has been since the 27 have decided to give themselves the means to achieve the great objective of the coming decades, namely to make Europe the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050. Even if the adoption of the climate package did not go as planned since the introduction of a carbon tax at the borders of the single market was rejected, the new regulations concerning the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans will undoubtedly delight environmental defenders.
The measure will constitute a real revolution for the automobile industry of the Old Continent. “The text only concerns new cars, and not the second-hand market, therefore. And, to clarify, a new car with a combustion engine bought in 2034 can still be used beyond 2035,” specifies Phuc-Vinh Nguyen, researcher at the Jacques Delors Institute. “The logic behind is to record the almost total disappearance of thermal cars from the roads in 2050, their lifespan being around 16 years”, adds this specialist in EU energy policy.
A hard-fought breakthrough. Because there too, the industrialists did not fail to use their influence. Very receptive to the lobby of large groups, German in particular – Volkswagen in the lead – the deputies of the European right have pushed for manufacturers to be nevertheless authorized to sell 10% of new cars and vans emitting CO2 after 2035. Without success. “It would have been de facto incompatible with Europe’s climate commitments”, insists Pascal Canfin, the very influential Macronist president of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee.
The ball in the States’ court
The step taken on Wednesday was important, but not yet decisive. The measure will be the subject of a final phase of negotiation, in the coming weeks, between the Parliament and the Council, which brings together the 27 Member States, but whose ambition should, a priori, be similar. “The arguments of the builders do not stand up. It is based on a vision techno optimist that possible innovations could allow us to meet our climate objectives with thermal cars. This type of reasoning is no longer understandable given the urgency we are facing,” says Phuc-Vinh Nguyen. The recent report by climate experts (IPCC) recalled the climate challenges to be faced in the coming years.
What about the fears of negative repercussions on employment agitated by these lobbies? “This compromise will give the industry twelve years to adapt, which is entirely achievable if we invest now in retraining, and in training to orient newcomers and apprentices to this industry. ‘future’,” says the researcher.
In addition to employment, the electrification of the car fleet of the Old Continent places the EU facing a mountain of challenges. Starting with the need to deploy 7 million charging stations across the territories, but also to overcome dependence on China for the production of electric batteries. Two subjects on which the ambitions displayed are high, in Paris as in Brussels. Place for action.