Italy continues to pressure Brussels to postpone the farewell to gasoline and diesel engines planned for 2035. Our government, along with six other countries, strongly wants it to be postponed from the end of 2026 to the first months of 2025. The review article introduced by the regulation foreseeing the transition to electric vehicles comes into play.
examination
According to the Commission’s intention, the review serves to evaluate the progress of the European automotive market, considering the farewell of internal combustion engines, and to evaluate whether it is necessary to postpone the 2025 target together with the Czech Republic. Our country has prepared a document calling on Brussels to recognize a “broader range” of solutions beyond battery electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles.
The European Commission has committed to introducing an exemption for cars running on eFuel at the request of Germany, but according to Italy, this will not be enough. According to Rome, other types of energy sources, such as biofuels, should also be included in the exemption in order to avoid paying producers some of the very high penalties stipulated by the legislation.
Initially, Italy and the Czech Republic supported the war by producing a so-called ‘non-paper’ document addressed to European governments and community administrators. Now Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Poland have also signed the text, expanding the front, especially if countries such as Germany, France or Spain do not participate, although it does not sufficiently influence the EU Council, which consists of 27 governments. .
requests
The document seen by Ansa is expected to be presented at the EU Competitiveness Council in Brussels on Thursday, November 28, with the participation of Italian Made in Minister Adolfo Urso. The seven countries demand, among other things, a long-term industrial strategy and a multi-year investment plan for the automotive sector. Denouncing the current targets set for 2025 as imposing “risky fines” on car manufacturers who “fail to meet these stringent requirements due to the slowdown of electric vehicles”, the seven signatories called on the European Commission to introduce “a penalty as soon as possible”. Following a progress report and a full review of the rules, the proposal to bring the voucher to 2025 compared to the expected 2026 date came.
Countries also demand that the revision of heavy vehicle emission standards, currently set for 2027, be brought forward. Italy and six allies want to pave the way by adopting the “principle of technological neutrality” to achieve zero emissions targets. A shift to “a broader range of technologies” beyond just electric vehicles and hydrogen, including sustainably fueled internal combustion engines, which should be considered through the proper use of alternative powertrains.
There is no direct reference to biofuels, but it is clear that they should be part of the strategy for Rome, and the document proposes creating an “alternative” emissions calculation approach, thus paving the way for “other technologies to contribute to achieving the targets”.
Biofuels and eFuel
Italy has tried in the past to pass a provision that would exempt biofuels, in which Eni has invested heavily, from the EU’s combustion engine ban, but was unsuccessful. Germany, on the other hand, managed to get an exemption by claiming that e-Fuels are climate neutral. The difference between the two is that eFuels, or electrofuels, are created through a complex chemical process that uses electricity to combine hydrogen molecules in water with carbon in Co2 to create a liquid fuel that works in existing engines just as it does in regular engines.
To produce it, Co2 “captured” from the atmosphere or from factories is used and as such this fuel is considered emissions neutral in the sense that it does not create new emissions but “recycles” those already produced. Biofuels, on the other hand, are fuels produced from renewable and natural resources such as vegetable oils or oils and other recycled materials, but they are still a source of new CO2 emissions, although lower than conventional gasoline and diesel.
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.
