Ministers from several European countries who disagree with the end of the sale of cars with internal combustion engines in 2035 and are concerned about the draft Euro 7 clean car standard, which is under negotiation and highly controversial in the industry, will meet on Monday in Strasbourg, a German representative said. . on Sunday.
“The Czech Republic convened a specialized ministerial meeting on the (future) Euro 7 standard and emission limits (for the automotive sector) on Monday in Strasbourg together with the European Commission,” said a spokesman for the German ministry. Foreign Affairs Transport.
According to him, German Minister Volker Wissing (FDP, liberals) “will gladly accept this invitation” organized in the city in eastern France shortly before the start of the plenary session of the European Parliament.
Poland will also take part in the discussion, diplomatic sources told AFP. According to the Politico website, a representative from Italy is also expected.
The meeting came as Germany on Tuesday blocked a vote by 27 member states, which should have been a formality, to ratify a ban on the sale of new combustion-engine cars in 2035.
This vote was postponed indefinitely, Germany refused to give the green light. Since Italy and Poland had long opposed the text, and Bulgaria wanted to abstain, the required qualified majority (at least 55% of states representing 65% of the EU population) was no longer united.
The text, which effectively mandates the use of 100% electric motors, was already the subject of an agreement in October between Member States and the European Parliament and was then formally approved in mid-February by MEPs.
To justify the U-turn, which is extremely rare at this stage of the procedure, Berlin demanded that the European Commission submit a proposal opening the way for cars running on synthetic fuels, including after 2035.
This technology, still under development, is being championed in particular by leading German manufacturers with the aim of expanding the use of internal combustion engines.
Another concern for these countries is the Euro 7 pollution standard proposed in November by the European Commission, which will be introduced for the automotive industry from 2025.
Brussels proposes, in particular, to make vehicle emissions tests more relevant to real driving conditions and to set limits on particle emissions caused by brake and tire wear in order to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from cars and light vehicles by 35%. commercial vehicles compared to the previous Euro 6 standard.
The proposal is being vehemently rejected by manufacturers who want the minimum standard for these heat engines to disappear by 2035.
In their opinion, the proposed Euro-7 standard will lead to a sharp increase in car prices, which could further undermine the already struggling European market.