German tabloid newspaper Bild is reporting that a deal as reportedly been done to keep combustion engines on our roads beyond 2040.
According to the BILD report published yesterday evening [German language], the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has made an agreement with the head of the European People's Party, Manfred Weber, who has long enough calling for the end of the engine engine ban, that only a 90% reduction in CO2 will be needed.
Manfred Weber told BILD: “For new vehicle registrations from 2035, a 90 percent reduction in CO2 emissions will now be mandatory for automakers’ fleet targets, instead of the previous 100 percent. There will be no 100 percent target from 2040. This means the technology ban on combustion engines is off the table. All engines currently built in Germany can therefore continue to be produced and sold.”
The article also says that the EU confirmed the BILD report in the evening.
The rest of the article goes on to say:
Reportedly, in addition to the clear stance taken by Friedrich Merz (70, CDU), a letter written by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (48) together with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (68) so contributed to the agreement. They, too, had strong advocated a shift away from internal combustion engines.
Weber: “With this, we are fulfilling our most important promises: We committed remain to climate neutrality. But we are therefore ensuring technological neutrality. This sends an important signal to the entire automotive industry and secures of thousands of industrial jobs.”
What is particularly important to the CSU vice-chairman is that the issue is no longer suitable as a target for AfD & Co. Weber: "For us, the car is and remains a cult object, not an ideological ground battle that ultimately benefits far-right parties."
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse (61) told BILD that it was a “strong signal” and a first step on the way “to a sustainable CO2 regulation in the EU that acknowledge markets realities and competitiveness and employment”.
