Italy threatens to overturn the EU decision and, with the help of Germany, has a growing chance.
Italy’s Minister of Transport and Lega boss Matteo Salvini has launched an attack against the end of combustion engines in the EU. After 100,000 Italians signed a petition for petrol and diesel cars, he now wants to overturn the ban on the sale of such cars from 2035, which has already been negotiated between the Council of the EU and the European Parliament.
The right-wing politician receives support from his German counterpart Volker Wissing (FDP). He threatened that Germany could not agree to the final vote in the Council scheduled for next Tuesday. Wissing justified this by saying that the EU Commission has not yet submitted a proposal on how vehicles with climate-friendly fuels (e-fuel) can be approved after 2035. This was part of the agreement reached in June last year, with which the FDP could be persuaded to agree within the German traffic light government.
Italy and especially Germany are among the largest car producers in Europe. If individual Eastern European governments also vote against phasing out combustion engines, the necessary blocking minority could come about. For a decision to be made next week, the approval of at least 15 EU governments, which together must represent 65 percent of the EU population, is required. A preliminary decision could be made as early as Friday at an ambassadors’ meeting.
(ag./wb)
(“Die Presse”, print edition, March 2nd, 2023)