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The European Union had decided in the previous legislature to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2035 onwards, but under pressure from car manufacturers and large member states such as Germany and Italy, the legislation is already being adjusted.
The Commission now wants car manufacturers to reduce emissions by only 90 percent by 2035. They must, however, compensate for the remaining 10 percent through the use of low-carbon steel or through e-fuels and biofuels. As a result, for example, plug-in hybrids and vehicles with a combustion engine can still play a role even after 2035.
The Commission insists, however, that the relaxations for car manufacturers do not undermine the European Union’s climate ambitions. “We are maintaining the predictability of investments in the electricity sector, reducing emissions and staying on track to be climate neutral by 2050,” Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra asserted.
The measures still have to be approved by the member states and the European Parliament. Belgian MEP Sara Matthieu of the Green group already believes that the Commission is making “a monumental mistake.” “While China is smartly focusing on electric cars and conquering our market, the Commission wants to go back to fossil fuels. For the climate, workers and the future of our car industry, this is a historic mistake,” she says.
(Brussels, 16/12/25)