The ministers of several European countries reluctant to the end of the sale of combustion engine vehicles in 2035 and worried about the draft Euro 7 anti-pollution automotive standard, highly contested by the industry, will meet Monday in Strasbourg.
“The Czech Republic convened a specialized ministerial meeting on (the future standard) Euro 7 and the emission limit values (of the automotive sector) on Monday in Strasbourg, with the European Commission,” said a spokesman for the German ministry on Saturday. transports.
German Minister Volker Wissing (FDP, Liberals) will ‘will gladly respond to this invitation’, held in the eastern French town shortly before the start of a plenary session of the European Parliament, he said added.
Poland will also participate in the discussion, diplomatic sources told AFP. According to the Politico site, a representative from Italy is also expected.
Opposite Italy
This meeting comes as Germany on Tuesday blocked a vote of the 27 member states, supposed to be a formality, to ratify the ban on the sale of new cars with combustion engines in 2035.
This vote was postponed indefinitely, Germany refusing to give the green light. As Italy and Poland had been opposed to the text for a long time, and Bulgaria wished to abstain, the necessary qualified majority (at least 55% of the States representing 65% of the EU population) was not more united.
The text, which would in fact impose 100% electric engines, had already been the subject of an agreement in October between Member States and the European Parliament, before being formally approved in mid-February by MEPs.
Extremely rare turnaround
To justify its about-face, extremely rare at this stage of the procedure, Berlin demanded that the European Commission present a proposal paving the way for vehicles running on synthetic fuels, including after 2035.
This technology, still in development, is defended in particular by high-end German manufacturers, with a view to extending the use of internal combustion engines.
Another concern for these countries: the Euro 7 pollution standard, proposed in November by the European Commission and which would be imposed on the automotive industry from 2025.
Brussels proposes in particular to make vehicle emissions tests more in line with real driving conditions and to set limits on the emission of particles caused by brake and tire wear, in order to reduce emissions by 35% nitrogen oxides (NOx) from passenger cars and light commercial vehicles compared to the previous Euro 6 standard.
This proposal is fiercely rejected by manufacturers, who want a minimum standard for these thermal engines supposed to disappear in 2035.
According to them, the proposed Euro 7 standard would lead to a sharp increase in vehicle prices, at the risk of further crippling an already struggling European market.
/ATS