The leader of the European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber (CSU), has promised a swift departure from the planned ban on combustion engines for new cars from 2035 in the EU. “I promise Europeans the end of the combustion engine ban,” Weber told Welt am Sonntag. “We have been fighting for this in Brussels for a long time – and in the autumn we will deliver.”He said he still adheres to the goal of climate neutrality. But, Weber explained, the path to get there must remain open.
In a “Four-Point Auto Pledge for Europe,” Weber is reportedly calling, alongside reversing the combustion engine ban, for the creation of a virtual auto university in Europe and the use of AI gigafactories for vehicle development and mobility research. In addition, he reportedly wants to use entire regions as test areas for innovations such as autonomous driving and to conduct an “intensive dialogue with employees of the auto industry.”
The automobile club ADAC criticized the ongoing “fundamental debates” about the future of electromobility. “Registration figures are rising, car buyers are increasingly embracing electromobility,” ADAC Technical President Karsten Schulze told newspapers of the Funke Media Group (Saturday editions). “That is why the EU legal framework should now be clarified quickly and the constant fundamental debates then ended.”
Electromobility will become the defining drive for passenger cars and “make a significant contribution to climate protection in transport.” Schulze called on the federal government to establish a nationwide charging infrastructure, “a clear framework for transparent and affordable charging prices,” as well as incentives, for example through motor vehicle tax.
The European Commission had announced on Friday that it wanted to review the planned combustion engine ban earlier than previously envisaged. The review should take place “as soon as possible,” a spokesman for Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné emphasized. Until now, a review had been planned for the coming year. In view of the current difficulties in the industry, manufacturers had pushed for an accelerated timetable. Automakers and suppliers are hoping for a relaxation of the requirements.
According to a report by Bild newspaper, initial decisions on possible exceptions could already be made at the end of the year. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reportedly wants to give the CEOs of major European automobile companies in December the first indications “as to which conclusions the Commission is leaning toward.”
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