During a public debate on Tuesday 17 December, and just like their colleagues in the Competitiveness (see EUROPE 13534/3) and Transport (see EUROPE 13538/7) Councils previously, European environment ministers discussed the penalties planned for car manufacturers from 2025 onwards under the regulation on reducing CO2 emissions for cars and vans.
This debate, requested by France, comes shortly after the European People’s Party (EPP) presented its plan to the European Parliament on how to save the European car industry (see EUROPE 13543/11).
Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Taxation, began by pointing out that the European Commission is preparing a legislative proposal to amend the Climate Act, while maintaining the target of a 90% net reduction in greenhouse gases. “This will be supported by the Clean Industrial Deal”, he added.
Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the French minister, indicated that she did not wish to “change anything in the umbrella text”, but “to allow ourselves some flexibility, some adjustments, because the reality we are faced with is not exactly the same as the one we had prepared for”.
Read the information note from France: https://aeur.eu/f/ev1 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani, with Florent Servia)