On Tuesday 14 February, MEPs in plenary approved the provisional political agreement reached by the European Parliament and the EU Council in October 2022 on CO2 emission reduction targets for cars and vans (340 votes in favour, 279 against and 21 abstentions) (see EUROPE 13053/1).
This text provides for a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars and vans by 2035, which will mean the end of sales of new vehicles with combustion engines. The text includes an intermediate target, in 2030, setting emission reductions of 55% for new cars and 50% for new commercial vehicles.
The Commission will have to come up with a methodology to assess and report on CO2 emissions data throughout the life cycle of cars and vans sold on the market. It will also have to publish a report every 2 years to assess progress.
The text also provides for a derogation until the end of 2035 for manufacturers producing between 1,000 and 10,000 new cars - or 1,000 and 22,000 vans. Those producing less than 1,000 new vehicles per year will continue to be exempted.
This amendment, supported in the EU Council by Germany and Italy and better known as the ‘Ferrari’ amendment, is one of the points on which the European Parliament had to give ground in the inter-institutional negotiations.
“The end of the combustion engine is a good thing, but exemptions for the very rich to carry on playing with their multi-million euro toys is not”, said Martin Schirdewan (The Left, German).
Critical of the agreement, only about 20 EPP MEPs supported the text, with the rest of the group abstaining.
“Europe is leading its car industry into a dead end. Today’s decision to ban combustion engines will make new cars more expensive, cost thousands of jobs and lead to the decline of a vital European industry”, said Jens Gieseke (EPP, German). (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)