During a discussion with a number of participants at the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands on Tuesday 3 March, a representative of the European Commission stressed that there needs to be compliance with European Union treaties, including the rules on the internal market, with regard to the decision made by several Member States to phase out combustion engines within the next 20 years.
The issue was raised by Bas Eickout (Greens-EFA, Netherlands) during the debate attended by representatives from Transport & Environment (an organisation promoting green mobility), BEUC (a European consumer organisation) and ACEA (an organisation representing car manufacturers), in addition to representatives from the Commission.
“We need to start the discussion, and it will be a difficult one, what are we going to do with those countries that want to phase out combustion actions. Because there are more and more countries doing that. At this moment it is pretty difficult within the internal market”, said the green MEP, who is known for his active participation in Dieselgate. Eickout is concerned that the EU will have to wait until all of the Member States agree on an end date for diesel engines, and combustion engines in general, before a process of this kind can be implemented.
The Commission, which was represented by Joanna Szuchowska, Head of Unit for the Automotive and Mobility Industries in the Directorate General for the Internal Market (DG GROW), was very clear. “We understand your concern”, she said, but “I don't want to sound like a lawyer, that I am, but we certainly cannot go against the treaty”. Szuchowska then stressed the need to think about how to promote change through means that are not necessarily regulatory, but which create incentives “in the right sense”.
When asked by EUROPE whether the Commission was prepared to go as far as opening an infringement proceeding, she replied that, generally speaking, the Commission was always prepared to open an investigation as soon as an infringement occurred.
Paul Greening of ACEA explained that there was a need to remove any uncertainty for the automotive industry, which would invest in research and innovation in line with the European regulatory framework, as soon as it could get a comprehensive long-term view, particularly with regard to Euro 7 standards, i.e. after 2021 or later.
Currently, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Ireland have announced a gradual phase-out of combustion engines for new cars by 2030. France has set a date of 2040. Outside the Union, the United Kingdom has set a date of 2035 (see EUROPE 12418/6), except Scotland, which has chosen 2032. Norway, which is a leader in this area, has set itself the target of 2025. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)