According to the will of the EU countries, only climate-neutral new cars should be sold in the European Union from 2035. The ministers responsible for the environment in the 27 countries agreed on this during the night in Luxembourg. A final compromise must now be negotiated with the EU Parliament, which wants a complete end for new cars with combustion engines from 2035.
After 16 hours of negotiations, the EU countries agreed to reduce the so-called fleet limits for cars to zero by 2035. These limit values are specifications for manufacturers as to how much CO2 the cars and vans they produce may emit during operation. This means that from 2035 no more conventionally powered new cars with combustion engines will be sold.
The Austrian federal government was not entirely unanimous on this question. The ÖVP is in no hurry to end combustion engines, while Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) advocates a ban from 2035. Austria is already a pioneer when it comes to e-mobility and wants to remain so and therefore achieve the goal earlier than 2035, said the environment minister in Luxembourg. ÖVP General Secretary Laura Sachslehner called for technological solutions. Sachslehner referred to alternative fuels and hydrogen and warns of a “potential ban on new registrations of combustion engines”.