The end of polluting cars, scheduled for 2035, could finally be postponed. In any case, this is what Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, and Clément Beaune, the Minister of Transport, suggest.
A few days ago, the European Union ratified an agreement on a law to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. The new legislation would require car manufacturers to reduce their CO2 emissions by 100% by that date, which would then make it impossible to sell vehicles running on fossil fuels.
However, despite an agreement from all 27 EU member states, Europe could ultimately stall its plan to phase out sales of polluting cars if the market does not take off in time. Indeed, in an interview with Brussels Playbook, Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for the internal market, cast doubt on the timetable.
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The gradual end of thermal cars could be postponed
Thierry Breton notably said that the recently passed law could be reopened in 2026 to delay the date for phasing out polluting cars and give the auto industry more time to accelerate the production of electric vehicles. A review clause could therefore be adopted in 3 years.
Thierry Breton also reiterated his concerns about the switch to electric, including the destruction of approximately 600,000 jobs, dependence on China, the high price of electric cars, and the problem of powering cars and terminals. The transition to all-electric is “ certainly the strongest industrial transformation that the European Union has known “, estimated Thierry Breton.
For his part, Clément Beaune, the Minister of Transport, also announced that it was in favor of postponing this new legislation. ” There will be a resend clause to see if there are other technologies that can accompany the electric technology “, announced Beaune. ” We are not going to stop exporting hybrid or thermal vehicles abroad in 2035, otherwise it is the Chinese who will conquer all the developing markets “, insisted the minister.