EU decision
FDP rejects the end of combustion engines
The EU Parliament’s decision on the internal combustion engine “does not find our approval,” says FDP Transport Minister Volker Wissing. Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa
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Minister of Transport Wissing speaks of a “hard step” for citizens – many jobs depend on the combustion engine. FDP boss Lindner is also pushing for a change in plans.
The FDP rejects a ban on the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035.
FDP Transport Minister Volker Wissing said at the request of the German Press Agency that the EU Parliament’s decision on the combustion engine “does not meet our approval. The end means a hard step for the citizens. »
Many jobs depended on the combustion engine. “We want vehicles with combustion engines to be able to be newly registered after 2035 if they can be proven to be fueled only with e-fuels. The approval of climate-neutral vehicles with combustion engines corresponds to the important principle of openness to technology.»
Discord in the coalition?
This is in contrast to what Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) said in Brussels in March. On behalf of the federal government, she had expressly supported the EU Commission’s climate targets, which were tightened last year. That means ending the use of combustion engines in cars and vans by 2035, she said before a meeting with her EU counterparts.
She also announced: “Combustion engines powered by e-fuels are only an option after 2035 outside of the CO2 fleet limits.” The fleet limits state how much CO2 the cars and vans newly built by manufacturers are allowed to emit.
FDP parliamentary group leader: Do not assume that there will be a ban
The leader of the Liberal parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Christian Dürr, told the German Press Agency in Berlin: “I do not assume that there will be a ban on internal combustion engines. In addition to the European Parliament, the governments of the EU member states must also agree. The narrow decision of the EU Parliament would throw us back in terms of climate protection, since a path to climate neutrality – namely the use of synthetic fuels – would be closed. »
That contradicts what the SPD, FDP and Greens had agreed in the coalition agreement. “We must remain open to new technologies, otherwise we will damage our country and the climate,” says Dürr. “The federal government should strive for changes in the upcoming consultations, otherwise Germany’s approval is unimaginable.”
In the opinion of Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), the federal government must press for changes to the discussed ban on new registrations. The decision of the European Parliament contradicts the spirit of the coalition agreement between the SPD, Greens and FDP, Lindner told the German Press Agency. “We expressly wanted a future option for climate-friendly liquid fuels in new internal combustion engines.” That is why the entire federal government must now “aim for changes for openness to technology”. Otherwise, Germany’s approval would be inconceivable.
Lindner emphasized that Germany will certainly be the lead market for e-mobility. In many other countries, however, the combustion engine will be used for a long time to come. “In the interests of thousands of jobs, we must not allow ourselves to be decoupled from this,” he warned.
What the European Parliament wants
In the fight for more climate protection, the EU Parliament wants to ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035. A majority of MEPs in Strasbourg voted in favor of the fact that from the middle of the next decade manufacturers will only be allowed to bring cars and vans onto the market that do not emit any greenhouse gases that are harmful to the climate.
Before such a regulation can come into force, Parliament still has to negotiate with the EU states.