He said the EU must also leave room for combustion engines using synthetic fuels. Italian officials, in particular, have also expressed similar views, pointing to the risks to employment in the automotive sector.
The Commission is reportedly considering a number of concessions. On the table is not only a postponement of the deadline or a relaxation of the 100% reduction target, but also the possibility of allowing a limited proportion of cars with internal combustion engines beyond 2035.
A European Commission official told the Financial Times that "the aim is not to weaken climate policy, but to adapt it to the realities of the market and the production capacity of European industry".
The change of course is openly welcomed by the car industry
The head of a major European group told Reuters that the regulation was set at a time when there were "completely different assumptions about the market development". The pace of electrification, he said, was being hampered by high vehicle prices, underdeveloped infrastructure and weakening consumer demand. "If Europe does not want to lose production and jobs, it must act pragmatically," he says.
But critics warn that backing away from the ban sends a dangerous signal. Representatives of the electric mobility sector warn that the rule change creates uncertainty for investors. "Companies have invested billions based on clear political commitments. If the rules are now changed, it jeopardises the credibility of the EU," a representative of one of Europe's electric vehicle manufacturers' associations told Reuters.
The dispute thus once again reveals a fundamental tension in European climate policy - the conflict between political ambition and economic reality. The European Commission's proposal does not mean a definitive end to the ban on internal combustion engines.
Negotiations with the European Parliament and the Member States will follow. However, it is already clear that the initial idea of a rapid and complete end to internal combustion cars by 2035 is running up against the increasingly hard limits of reality.
(reuters, ft)
