The regulation that ended gasoline and diesel cars by 2035 has now become law. EU energy ministers have given final approval to the text effectively banning the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines from 2035. The measure passed with the affirmative vote of Germany, which obtained an exception for synthetic fuels, eFuels. Italy abstained, as did Bulgaria. Only Poland voted against the measure.
The Italian government’s decision is linked to the issue of biofuels: after leading a joint war with Berlin to change regulation and leave the door open to alternative fuels to keep the combustion engine alive, Italy found itself lacking the numbers needed to block the text. The German government has reached an agreement with the European Commission on eFuel. On the basis of the agreement, Brussels will present a mandated law that will initiate a derogation for such fuels considered to have neutral CO2 emissions (to do this, CO2 that was previously stored in a polluting facility is used, for example). Italy would seek a similar delegation action for biofuels without a specific commitment from Brussels. Hence the decision to abstain.
Italian Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, on the sidelines of the meeting, “hesitantly abstained, appreciating the commission’s change of direction to accept the possibility of registering not only electric motors but also internal combustion engines after 2035.”
Source: Today IT
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
