In anon-paper consulted by Agence Europe on Friday 5 June, seven Member States called on the European Union to maintain ambitious targets for the electrification of the car fleet.
More specifically, the letter concerns the regulation on reducing CO2 emissions from light commercial vehicles, one of the texts in the ‘automotive package’, presented in December 2025. Focusing on the supply side, it should enable carmakers to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% compared with 2021 levels. In the name of technological neutrality, some countries, notably Germany, want to give hybrid vehicles a more prominent place.
However, “the current energy crisis is a clear demonstration that reducing European dependence on fossil fuels is an absolute necessity”, argued the authors of the letter (Denmark, Spain, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden). “We do not support changes to the legal framework that are not science-based and would undermine the ongoing momentum and long-term perspective of electrification”, the signatories added.
They did, however, recognise the need to create the conditions for the adoption of electric vehicles, by accelerating the roll-out of recharging infrastructure and stimulating demand in all Member States. The issue of the uneven deployment of charging infrastructure was raised at a meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport on Wednesday 3 June (see EUROPE 13880/18).
There could now be a standoff with Germany and Italy over this text, AFP reported on Friday. In particular, Berlin lobbied to amend the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2035 to give carmakers more flexibility. The countries that signed the letter are now in a position to form a blocking minority within the EU Council. (Original version in French by Juliette Verdes)