In the dispute over the future of new cars with combustion engines, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing is confident that a workable solution will now be found. The FDP politician told the German Press Agency that they had consulted closely with the EU Commission and, after careful consideration, submitted a constructive proposal for a solution. “We assume that this not only satisfactorily answers all content-related, but also legal questions.”
Wissing added: “There should be nothing standing in the way of the approval of newly registered vehicles with combustion engines that are fueled exclusively with synthetic fuels even after 2035.” It is now expected that the EU Commission will issue a corresponding declaration, with clear time targets name and start the process for corresponding legal acts.
On Thursday evening, the ministry sent a letter in reply to the EU Commission’s latest proposed solutions to Brussels, according to government circles in Berlin. At the beginning of the week, their proposals had become known. Accordingly, the authority defined a draft of criteria for the approval of new vehicles that are exclusively operated with CO2-neutral fuels.
The background to this is a fundamental agreement between the European Parliament and EU states, according to which only zero-emission new cars may be registered in the EU from 2035. However, Germany is urging that new cars with internal combustion engines that run on e-fuels – i.e. climate-neutral artificial fuels that are generated with green electricity – be permitted after this. A confirmation of the agreement by the EU states, which was planned for early March, was therefore initially prevented by Germany.