Germany, EU reach pact on combustion engines

Berlin, March 25

Germany and the European Union announced on Saturday that they have reached an agreement in their dispute over the future of cars with combustion engines, allowing the registration of new vehicles with such engines even after 2035 provided they use climate-neutral fuel only.

May allow cars to run even after 2035

• Registration of new vehicles with combustion engines allowed even after 2035 provided they use climate-neutral fuel only
• Germany had demanded an exemption for cars that burn e-fuels, arguing that they are carbon neutral when produced using renewable energy
• The EU had earlier wanted to ban the sale of all new cars with combustion engines from 2035

EU Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans tweeted that “we have found an agreement with Germany on the future use of e-fuels in cars.” German Transport Minister Volker Wissing tweeted that the way had been cleared for vehicles with internal combustion engines that only use climate-neutral fuels to be newly registered even after 2035.

“We secure opportunities for Europe by preserving important options for climate-neutral and affordable mobility,” Wissing wrote.

An initial proposal by European Union member countries on new carbon dioxide emission standards for cars had been postponed amid opposition from Germany.

The EU had wanted to ban the sale of all new cars with combustion engines from 2035.

Germany had demanded an exemption for cars that burn e-fuels, arguing that they are carbon neutral when produced using renewable energy and carbon captured from the air so they wouldn’t spew further climate-changing emissions into the atmosphere.

Wissing said they had agreed on concrete procedural steps and that a specific timetable has been made binding. — AP