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Kupka wants to push for a revision of the ban on combustion engines in the EU as early as next year

by AI | 27.Sep 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The reason is to maintain the competitiveness of the European automotive industry, preserve jobs, and ensure the availability of transport.

Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka. Photo: EP/Ola Fras

Prague – The Minister of Transport Martin Kupka (ODS) wants to propose an earlier review of the impact of the ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines in the EU. Instead of the originally planned year 2026, the measure should be reviewed next year. The reason is the effort to maintain the competitiveness of the European automotive industry, preserve jobs, and ensure the availability of transport. The ministry stated this in a press release. According to sales figures, the transition to electric cars is slower than expected.

“We demand that the review of this ban takes place already in 2025, instead of the originally planned year 2026. We want to discuss this with the new European Commission and at the same time we are preparing a position document for which we would like to build a coalition of like-minded states, as was the case with the revision of the Euro 7 standard,” said Kupka.

According to Kupka, the ministry follows up on its previous activities in the so-called greening of transport and the current initiative of the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “Our goal must be to maintain the competitiveness of the European automotive industry while preventing the creation of barriers that would make it impossible to buy new affordable cars. We have the ambition to lead efforts to change the setting of European plans regarding internal combustion engines,” added the minister.

This week, Kupka met with the German Minister of Transport Volker Wissing in Berlin to discuss steps to reassess carbon dioxide (CO2) limits for passenger vehicles, also in response to last week’s letter from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), which mentioned the impossibility of meeting the set carbon dioxide limits for 2025. At the same time, the ministry is in contact with the Czech automotive industry association regarding further joint steps. “The way forward is through further intensive negotiations and gaining sufficiently broad support from like-minded states,” noted Kupka. (September 27)