EU: Combustion cars to be phased out from 2035
The European Parliament has voted in favour of the ban. However, for it to have the desired effect, further measures are necessary. These include the creation and tightening of environmental zones and zero-emission zones.
In yesterday's plenary session of the European Parliament (EP), the items on the agenda were numerous. In particular, the Parliament had to determine its position on eight proposals that are part of the "Fit for 55" climate package on emissions reduction and climate neutrality. The "Fit for 55" also includes one of the propositions that has triggered heated discussions since it was first officially mentioned when the climate package was announced in July 2021 - the phasing out of combustion cars from 2035.
Now, a majority of MEPs have voted in favour of it. From 2035, vehicle manufacturers will only be allowed to put cars and vans on the European market that do not emit any climate-damaging greenhouse gases. At the same time, MEPs voted that synthetic fuels, which could be used to run a classic combustion engine in a climate-neutral way, cannot be counted.
With their decision, MEPs not only followed the European Commission's proposal from last year, but the Parliament's position is in line with the position of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). Indeed, in a report, ENVI also announced its support for the proposed rules to revise CO2 emission standards generated by transport. "This regulation promotes the production of zero and low-emission vehicles. With the CO2 standards we create clarity for the automotive industry and stimulate innovation and investment for car manufacturers," said Dutch MEP Jan Huitema.
The implementation of the EP's decisions would effectively mean the end of the combustion engine from the middle of the next decade. However, the Parliament's vote does not yet represent a legally binding decision by the EU. This is because in order to ban the registration of new cars with internal combustion engines from 2035, the governments of the EU member states must also give their consent in addition to the European Parliament. At the end of the month, the EU states will determine their position on the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars. After that, negotiations will take place to establish a common position that will eventually become the final legislation.
What is clear, however, is the goal that the European Union wants to pursue with the proposed legislation, which is to achieve zero-emission road mobility and the switch to electromobility. The measure should make a significant contribution to combating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% compared to 1990. In addition to reducing CO2 generated by road transport, the EU also aims to achieve a climate-neutral Europe by 2050.
Aware of their role in pollution, many car manufacturers have already announced their reduction and plans to increase the production of e-cars. Some have even made official an earlier switch to all-electrics from around 2025, such as Jaguar and multi-brand Stellantis.
However, for Europe to become the first continent to emit only unavoidable greenhouse gases and to fully offset these few emissions, the phasing out of combustion cars and the support of the car industry are not enough. In order to actually achieve the desired effect, additional traffic restrictions are to be implemented. Tighter regulations for the environmental zones already in place in the member states, as well as the establishment of several zero-emission zones, could most effectively open the way to greener European mobility. The registration ban does not automatically mean that petrol and diesel engines will suddenly disappear from the roads. For citizens to actually decide to switch to e-cars, most low-emission zones should at best become zero-emission zones.
As is actually already planned in some countries. In the Netherlands, for example, not only will the low-emission zones become zero-emission zones as early as 2025, but there are plans to introduce 30 more zones. Paris, too, is planning a diesel ban as early as 2024, which is the only way the European Union's measures will play a distinguishing role in the fight against global warming in the short or medium term. The bottom line is that old polluting vehicles must somehow be taken off the road. Zero-emission and low-emission zones, together with the forthcoming EU Climate Change Act, can be the clear answer.