Government confident: solution in combustion dispute “very close”

In the traffic light coalition, there were different opinions about the status of the combustion engine dispute with the EU. Transport Minister Wissing now emphasized that an agreement was “very close”. Chancellor Scholz also expects a speedy solution.

After ambiguities about a settlement of the dispute about the end of cars with combustion engines, the federal government has made it clear that it expects a final agreement shortly. “Things are looking good now,” said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing ARD lunchtime magazine. He has the impression that a solution is now “very close”.

“Now the last legal questions still have to be clarified as far as the technical implementation of this proposal is concerned,” he said in Mainz in the afternoon. For example, the question of where and how the element of “technology neutrality” comes into European law must be clarified, said Wissing. He made a proposal to which the EU Commission took a position. “That makes me optimistic.” However, what the EU Commission thinks of the German proposal remains open.

Scholz: Agreement comes “quite quickly”

An optimism that Chancellor Scholz also shared at the EU summit in Brussels. “I know that journalism is also an entertainment business and that they think it’s really stupid that we just agree,” he said. “But that will happen, and quite quickly.”

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. According to Wissing, the federal government had added further proposals to these plans. “We are not questioning the goal of only allowing climate-neutral vehicles from 2035. We have never done that,” emphasized Wissing. But the point is that the internal combustion engine remains protected as a technological option. Germany is a leader in this technology. Banning them now makes no sense, said the FDP politician.

Sensor technology for e-fuels

The aim is that even after 20235 new cars with combustion engines that fill up with e-fuels – i.e. climate-neutral artificial fuels that are produced with green electricity – can still be registered.

According to the dpa news agency, Wissing emphasized in Mainz that sensor technology must be used to ensure that other fuels cannot be used. Critics of the project emphasize that the production of e-fuels requires a relatively large amount of energy and that fuels are scarce. They would be needed more urgently in aviation and shipping.

In terms of content, the EU Commission and Wissing are not far apart and want to create a new type class for e-fuel cars by amending the Euro 6 regulation. These should only be operated with e-fuels and switch off immediately with other fuels. However, Wissing wants to go the way of a legal act, which in turn could be stopped by Parliament and also member states. The Commission wanted to regulate this more quickly and, from their point of view, more easily, purely through technical changes. In addition, Wissing would like e-fuel vehicles to be offset against the CO2 requirements of the EU.

Different views on the status of the talks

There had previously been ambiguities about the status of the talks. Wissing told the dpa that they had consulted closely with the EU Commission and, after careful examination, submitted a constructive solution proposal. “We assume that this not only satisfactorily answers all content-related questions, but also the legal ones.” After 2035, nothing should stand in the way of the approval of newly registered vehicles with combustion engines that are fueled exclusively with synthetic fuels. It is now expected that the Commission will make a corresponding statement, name time targets and start the process for corresponding legal acts.

However, his party colleague, Bijan Djir-Sarai, had denied an agreement. “I cannot confirm that this dispute is off the table,” said the FDP general secretary in a joint statement Morning magazine from ARD and ZDF. This will only be the case if the EU Commission presents a “very clear legal requirement”.