ROME – Italy wants to team up with France and Germany to “influence” and slow the pace of European laws on reducing CO2 emissions from road traffic, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said on Saturday.
The ultra-conservative government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has already come out against the decision of the Twenty-Seven to ban the sale of new cars running on petrol and diesel by 2035, a minister qualifying the switch to all-electric “suicide” and “gift” to Chinese industry.
On the TGcom news channel, Adolfo Urso called on the European Commission for a “pragmatic, concrete and non-ideological” approach to climate change laws and said he intended to form an “alliance” with Paris and Berlin to mitigate their cost for the world. industry and consumers.
He specified that he had discussed it on February 20 in Berlin with the German Minister of the Economy, Robert Habeck, and that he would do the same in Rome on March 3 with the French Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire.
“The three major European industrial countries can influence (…) European regulations”, he underlined with reference to Italy, France and Germany.
The Italian leader specifically mentioned two EU bills: the stricter Euro 7 emission rules for cars, vans, trucks and buses, and the proposal made this month to further reduce emissions trucks and buses.
Italy, he said, is “determined” to delay the approval of the two bills until after the European elections in 2024, unless Rome’s demands are met.
“These are two important files which must be tackled realistically, giving citizens and businesses a real chance to adapt in good time”, he said.
EU road sector emissions regulations are part of a wider set of stringent policies designed to meet EU targets to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
(Report Alvise Armellini; French version Elizabeth Pineau)
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