Parliament not solely responsible
European elections put an end to combustion engines in jeopardy
By Max Borowski
10.06.2024, 18:29
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The Union has made the future of combustion engine cars an election issue. In view of the election results, CDU leader Merz promises that the decision to phase out new cars with fossil fuels will not come into effect in 2035 as planned. However, the election winners do not have this entirely in their hands.
For CDU leader Friedrich Merz, the issue was already settled on election night. Merz interprets the result of the European elections, in which the Union and the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) emerged victorious in Germany and the EU-wide, as a vote against the so-called end to combustion engines. The regulation agreed two years ago by the EU Commission, the European Parliament and the governments of the member states represented in the EU Council will be dropped. “That is clear to us,” said Merz in the round of party leaders at ntv on Sunday evening.
The EU’s current regulation stipulates that from 2035 onwards, only emission-free cars, i.e. those that do not emit any CO2, may be newly registered. This primarily includes electrically powered vehicles, but also those with combustion engines, provided that it is ensured that they do not run on fossil fuels. Since it is questionable whether alternative, climate-neutral e-fuels can be produced in sufficient quantities at competitive costs by 2035, critics refer to the regulation as a ban on combustion engines.
In recent weeks, the Union has reignited the debate about the future of the combustion engine during the election campaign. The German EPP lead candidate Manfred Weber also took a similar stance. An online survey conducted by the Union – which was not representative – ended with a large majority in favor of ending fossil fuels, which was embarrassing for the conservatives. However, they recently received approval from the car industry itself, for example from BMW boss Oliver Zipse, who called the regulation “naive” in an interview and warned of “glaring consequences for the industrial base in Europe” – i.e. disadvantages for his own and other local car companies. According to pollsters, a majority of the population also rejects the end of combustion engines.
Review after the next federal election
Parties that speak out against the alleged ban are among the winners of the European elections. In Germany, these are the CDU/CSU, the AfD, which rejects any kind of climate protection rules for the economy, and the Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance. The Greens, who are in favor of the current regulation, are the biggest losers in the election. In the new European Parliament, there is therefore likely to be a majority in favor of revoking it. The regulation in its current version even explicitly provides for this possibility. In 2026, an interim assessment is to be made and it will be determined whether and how the conditions for the transition to climate-neutral mobility have changed.
The conservatives would definitely use the opportunity, Merz told ntv. “The 2026 revision clause must be used. And then in two years this will be over,” explained the party leader. After the election, a majority in the European Parliament is likely to be in favor of such a decision. However, the parliament cannot decide alone, but only together with the Commission and the EU Council. It is still unclear who will sit on the latter body in two years. Germany, for example, is currently represented there by the traffic light government, which has so far stuck to the ban on combustion engines. Before this is reviewed in 2026, however, the next federal election is scheduled for 2025, when the cards will also be reshuffled in terms of climate protection.