European People’s Party to consider ban on heat engines in 2035
The internal combustion engine is one of Europe’s technological symbols and, for parliamentary groups that have criticised Brussels’ environmental ambitions, an argument in favour of protecting public industry.
Last year, Ursula von der Leyen’s administration approved a 100 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from vehicles by 2035, marking the end of the sale of combustion engine vehicles for practical purposes.
The European People’s Party (EPP), to which the current Commission President belongs, won the largest number of seats on June 9: 188 out of 720. One of the elements of its election campaign for the legislature was to defend the car industry, where they estimate hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk from the arrival of Chinese brands and environmental decisions such as the 2035 ban.
This week, EPP lawmakers met in Portugal to set out their parliamentary priorities until 2029. 2035.
European carmakers themselves have called for the restrictions to be relaxed in 2025 and 2035. “By the end of next year, the world will understand that achieving emissions reductions is not so easy,” said BMW’s CEO. Oliver Zipse.
Last year, Germany threatened at the last minute to boycott the Brussels ban unless the way was cleared for synthetic fuels. The commission gave a positive result, but it is not yet classified.
These fuels are designed using renewable energy sources that counteract the emissions their engines produce when used. One alternative suggested by Reuters is to equip future heat cars with a device that will prevent them from starting if it detects that there is diesel or gasoline in their tanks.
Companies such as Repsol and Porsche are already investing in synthetic fuels, but their price is still far from competitive with traditional fossil fuels.
If the People’s Party’s project is approved as a priority, it will only increase the pressure on Ursula von der Leyen, who is seeking re-election as head of the community government and needs the votes of the largest group. On the other hand, the 136 seats of the Social Democratic group, which rejects the weakening of Europe’s environmental initiatives with all the ensuing consequences, are also important.