Status: 03/03/2023 08:19 a.m
Today, the EU states are voting in a trial vote on phasing out combustion engines from 2035. Transport Minister Wissing confirmed that the FDP could not agree if there were still no exceptions for e-fuels. The necessary majority at EU level is therefore uncertain.
Immediately before a test vote at EU level, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) reiterated his opposition to the planned end of new registrations for cars with combustion engines from 2035. Wissing continues to push for an exemption for vehicles that can be operated with so-called e-fuels, i.e. synthetic fuels.
“In the meantime I have spoken to Commissioner Frans Timmermans and made it clear once again that we expect the Commission to submit a proposal,” Wissing told the Rheinische Post. Since no such proposal has been made so far, the FDP cannot agree to the project. A few days before the vote planned for Tuesday in the Council of Ministers of the 27 EU countries, it is unclear how Germany will vote. An abstention would be likely if the FDP were to stick to their negative stance. Then again, it is unclear whether the necessary majority for phasing out combustion engines will be achieved at EU level or whether renegotiations will have to take place.
Trial voting eagerly awaited
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU states had already agreed in October that from 2035 only new cars that do not emit greenhouse gases during operation may be sold in the EU. The agreement reached by Parliament and the Member States on phasing out combustion engines ultimately contains a test mandate for the EU Commission: it is to examine with an open mind whether vehicles with e-fuel-capable combustion engines could still be approved in the future. This was an important element last year, with which the FDP could be persuaded to agree within the federal government.
A test vote on the agreement at that time is now planned at ambassador level of the 27 EU states after the European Parliament gave its final formal approval in mid-February. A qualified majority is required for this. This means that at least 15 EU countries, which together make up at least 65 percent of the EU population, have to agree. Should the required majority not be reached, the issue would likely be removed from the agenda of the Council of Ministers on Tuesday. If the necessary majority is not reached in the decisive vote by the ministers, the agreement on the end of the combustion engine would have to be renegotiated.
Artificial fuel as a compromise?
There has been a dispute in the traffic light coalition for a few weeks about the question of the ban on combustion engines. The green-led Ministry of the Environment had spoken out in favor of a clear end to combustion engines. The FDP, on the other hand, wants to continue to allow the combustion engine as a possible alternative to electric motors.
The synthetic fuels are one way of using a wide range of technologies to achieve climate goals. The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) also considers synthetic fuels to be essential for enabling climate-neutral mobility. E-fuel refers to synthetic fuels that are produced from water and carbon dioxide (CO2) using electricity.
Wissing expects a compromise proposal for the new regulation from 2035 that will not fundamentally ban combustion engines. “It was a clear task that could have been implemented long ago,” said the Federal Minister of Transport. In order to achieve climate goals, all options and technologies must be kept open.