The European Commission has finally given in to pressure from the automotive sector and will extend the lifespan of combustion cars beyond 2035. Less than two years ago, the veto on the sale of this type of vehicle within 10 years was approved. But the measure came up against manufacturers, a very powerful sector because of the investments and quality jobs it creates, almost before its birth. They have been joined this term by the powerful conservative-led European People’s Party (EPP) from Germany, where the industry is of great importance. Finally, Brussels proposed on Tuesday a series of measures which partially blur this objective set for 10 years.
The battle was bloody. Not just within the European executive. Also between Member States. Germany, Italy, Poland and others are betting on a downgrading of the ban on combustion cars. Spain, no. France was pushing to include measures that would boost vehicle manufacturing made in Europe. And they all made their positions known to the Commission through letters, public statements and, of course, lesser-known moves.
From the result, we can say that Berlin can be satisfied. The objective now is that from 2035, manufacturers reduce emissions by 100%, i.e. the end of combustion cars. With the new proposal, this bar is lowered to 90%. There are only ten points, but they leave the possibility of extending the life of plug-in hybrid cars, a type of combustion vehicle in which some brands have invested a lot, such as Mercedes.
This 10% reduction will not be obtained in exchange for anything. The industrialist who wants to benefit from it will have to use steel manufactured with low carbon content, another way of helping a European industry, the steel industry, which is going through a difficult period due to the excess production capacity installed in the world, particularly in China, which is flooding the market with metals produced at lower costs and with lower environmental requirements.
There is another measure that goes in the same direction as the dilution of the 2035 veto. Commercial vehicles, small vans or vans, will have a less ambitious emissions reduction target for 2030. Current regulations set a 50% reduction in five years. It is now proposed to maintain it at 40%.
Even before Brussels announced the measure, the president of the EPP, Manfred Weber, already welcomed this approach which the Commission subsequently confirmed. “I am happy to have reached the target of 90% by 2035, which was clearly a requirement of the European PP. We were in the process of changing this target when discussing the legislation three or four years ago.”
The Commission had already given in to the industry in March. This year was to implement the regulation’s first interim target, which aims to advance to the ban in 2035. By 2025, manufacturers should sell vehicles with average carbon emissions of 93.6 grams per kilometer, an average calculated annually based on total sales, as required by the standard. It was clear that they would not arrive and that they would have to pay around 15 billion dollars, according to figures from the sector’s European employers’ association, ACEA. Finally, a calculation over three years was established, and not annually, thanks to which companies gained two additional years to adapt.
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