The efforts of the European Union to promote the transition to electric car face a new attack.
Parliament’s chief CO2 negotiator reform of emission standardsMassimiliano Salini is set to push for an even greater return of the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel models.
The EU had agreed that only zero-emission cars could be marketed from 2035. But under pressure from the automotive sector and capitals such as Berlin and Rome, the European Commission proposed in December that a 90% reduction in average emissions would be enough, provided carmakers use cleanly produced steel and renewable fuels – lifting what amounts to a ban on the internal combustion engine.
But Salini – vice-president of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) – wants to scrap that condition, according to a draft report on the reform proposal that was published and widely circulated on Monday. In addition, the Italian legislator will then allow car manufacturers to cover up to 17 percentage points of the remaining reduction target by using clean steel (7 points) and renewable fuels (10 points).
The net result could be a de facto reduction of the emissions reduction target to just 73%, exceeding even the demands of the main active industry lobby in Brussels.
The growth of renewable fuels
In his draft report, seen by Euractiv, Salini looks set to push further the use of biofuels and synthetic alternatives to gasoline and diesel, known as e-fuels. Under his proposed amendments, vehicles that run exclusively on these fuels would be treated as “zero-emission” models, just like battery-electric cars.
The rapporteur for the hotly debated proposal would also seek to ease compliance for manufacturers of small electric cars made in Europe, a category that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also wants to increase by allowing 1.5 cars instead of 1.3. it bonus it would also extend to small electric vans, allowing manufacturers to bring even more conventional petrol or diesel models to market.
Salini would also support sales of plug-in hybrids by freezing a gradual tightening of their ‘utility factor’, an estimate of how much a driver will use the internal combustion engine, which critics say underestimates the overall climate impact of such vehicles.
The 2035 CO2 emissions target for vans will be further reduced to 80% because, he argues, a 90% target would be “too strict” and “would not reflect technological readiness nor market constraints”.
Criticisms are increasing
Green politicians and environmental activists immediately criticized Salini over the leaked report, arguing that his proposal would be unacceptable to the European Parliament’s centrist majority, made up of conservatives, liberals and social democrats.
“It’s very, very clear that the Socialists, the Greens, but also large parts of Renew already have a problem with what the commission proposed,” Green lawmaker Michael Bloss told reporters on Monday. “Toning that down even further – and … not by small margins, but big time – is basically asking for a vote along with the far right.”
The office of Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, the Socialist and Democratic group’s chief negotiator on the file, declined to comment when contacted by Euractiv.
The Transport and Environment (T&E) campaign group suggested that Salini’s timing was poor, given that Europe faces a fuel price shock.
“If approved, it will lock Europe into oil dependence for decades to come and jeopardize billions in investment in charging and battery factories,” T&E campaigner Lucien Mathieu said in a statement. “It is hard to imagine a centrist majority for this radical proposal.”
Salini’s proposals will be debated by the European Parliament’s environment committee for the first time on June 2. It will be subject to amendment both in committee and in a full plenary, a process that is likely to take at least until November. This will eventually allow Salini and shadow negotiators to enter talks with the EU Council, which represents national governments.
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