Conservative wing of EU aims to derail ICE-ban in 2035

If the majority in the EU Parliament changes after the elections in mid-2024, this could have consequences for decisions that have already been made: Manfred Weber, Chairman of the conservative EPP group in the European Parliament, wants to overturn the ban on combustion engines in the EU from 2035.

“If my group can secure a majority after the European elections, we will reverse the ban on combustion engines passed by the European Parliament in this legislative period,” announced Weber. The fundamental ban on combustion engines for new cars and light commercial vehicles in the EU was decided at the end of March, but conservatives had pushed through a review of the regulation in 2026. Weber wants to use this to overturn the ban on combustion engines. “I would like to use this review to remedy this decision, which was driven by the red and green parties and has led to massive competitive disadvantages for the EU,” Weber said.

For its part, the German liberal party FDP continues to fight for combustion engines to be allowed to be registered after 2035 if it is technically ensured that they are powered exclusively by synthetic fuels. So even from this side, approval of the end of combustion engines from 2035 is not absolute.

A lot therefore depends on the European elections in June 2024 for e-mobility. Stellantis has issued a statement on this from the automotive industry: according to its CEO Carlos Tavares, the OEM is preparing for a significantly slower ramp-up of electromobility. Tavares recently explained that a possible reversal of public opinion and politics on the subject of electric cars can no longer be ruled out in the upcoming elections to the EU Parliament and the US House of Representatives.

heise.de, t-online.de, twitter.com (all in German)