The EU Parliament has given its final approval for the phasing out of internal combustion engines for new cars by 2035. On Tuesday in Strasbourg, a majority of parliamentarians voted in favor of banning the registration of cars with diesel engines and the gasoline from 2035. The vote was on formally approving an agreement between Parliament and member states in October.
After the agreement, the final approval of the result of the negotiation was still missing. Member states had already given the green light in November, and now Parliament has done the same. The agreement stipulates that only emission-free cars and vans will be registered. One sticking point in the talks was whether there should be an exception for cars running on synthetic fuels.
These so-called e-fuels are usually produced from water and CO2 using electricity. According to the October agreement, the EU Commission must examine whether vehicles with this combustion engine can still be registered in the future. At the instigation of the FDP, the German government campaigned at EU level to ensure that e-fuels were not excluded from the outset.
Plans also for trucks and buses
On Tuesday afternoon, the EU Commission also intends to present its plans to reduce CO2 emissions from trucks and buses. It is also about the question of what role the combustion engine should play in heavy commercial vehicles in the future and how important electromobility is.
The Commission’s proposals for cars, trucks and buses are part of the climate protection package with which the EU aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030.