The Association of the German Automotive Industry (VDA) has the Proposal from the EU Commission to weaken emissions regulations criticized from 2035. The ones from the EU “Correctly recognized openness to technology must be more than just lip service,” said VDA President Hildegard Müller. “Unfortunately that is not the case here.” What looks like more openness is “filled with so many hurdles that it threatens to remain ineffective in practice.”
In times of increasing international competition, the Commission’s overall package for a move away from the so-called combustion engine ban is “fatal”, said Müller. “Today is not a good day” for Europe as an automotive location, for the economy, growth and employment.
The commission proposed reducing CO₂ fleet emissions by only 90 percent instead of 100 percent from 2035. This means that new hybrid or electric vehicles with a gasoline generator on board can still be registered afterwards. Car manufacturers must offset the resulting emissions by using green steel from the EU or by using CO₂-neutral fuels, so-called e-fuels.
Member states should “significantly change” the proposal
With regard to green steel and renewable fuels, the VDA President criticized the EU for wanting to impose new requirements on the automotive industry. These are requirements “where the availability is beyond our control”. The industry is therefore dependent on developments that it cannot influence. Müller called on Parliament and member states to “decisively change” the Commission’s proposal in the upcoming negotiations.
Chancellor Friedrich Merzwho had previously written a letter calling for the Commission to move away from combustion engines, welcomed the proposal. “It is good that the Commission is now opening up regulation in the automotive sector following the clear signal from the federal government,” he told the newspaper Picture. “More openness to technology and more flexibility are the right steps – to better bring climate goals, market realities, companies and jobs together.” The federal government must now examine the Commission’s extensive proposals in detail, said Merz. When it comes to the design, technological openness is “of central importance”. In addition, new requirements should not lead to more bureaucracy.
Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider also rates the proposal positively. The SPD politician, whose ministry is within the Federal Government is in charge, speaks of a pragmatic middle ground that also takes the concerns of the unions into account. This gives car manufacturers and suppliers more scope for the transition to electromobility. “The rules will become more flexible, but the climate impact will remain,” said Schneider. At the same time, he assumes that the future is electric. “Electric cars are technically superior and are getting better and cheaper. In ten years, almost all new cars in Europe will be electric cars,” he continued.
Criticism from Greens and economists
Criticism of the abandonment of the emissions target came from the
Greens. The car package is a big mistake in terms of economic and climate policy, said the chairwoman of the Green parliamentary group, Katharina Dröge, to the dpa news agency. “With the de facto abandonment of the 2035 target, planning security will be destroyed, investments will be devalued and Europe’s climate goals will become a long way off.”
Previously, individual EU states and… Economists criticized the departure. If companies slow down the development of electric cars, it is to be feared that the European car industry will be out of the race with the competition China Economists, for example, criticized that it would fall even further behind.
