According to internal documents, despite immense pressure from the automotive industry to downplay the upcoming regulations, Brussels remains steadfast in its controversial plan to restrict internal combustion engines in the European Union starting from 2035. Reports indicate that responses prepared for EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra's parliamentary hearing next month state that the EU "cannot and should not retract" its plan to ban the sale of new cars powered by fossil fuels.
The law, announced in 2021, has been criticized by European car manufacturers who are currently grappling with sluggish electric vehicle sales and fierce competition from manufacturers in other countries. All major European car manufacturers, except Renault, have issued profit warnings this year. Volkswagen, Germany's largest private employer, said last month that it is considering closing factories in Germany for the first time in the company's 87-year history.
Industry body Acea has also warned that the automotive industry may face tens of millions of euros in fines when stricter regulations aimed at reducing Europe's overall car emissions by 15% compared to the 2021 baseline come into effect next year. Italy has called on the European Commission to postpone the implementation of the ban, France is seeking a more "flexible" approach to its implementation, and Germany's coalition government supports retaining internal combustion engines for cars that use alternative environmentally friendly fuels. Italy's Industry Minister Adolfo Urso warned last month that the 2035 internal combustion engine ban could bring a "crisis" to European car manufacturing.
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However, the report states that Hoekstra's briefing considers the new rules to create "predictability for investors and manufacturers," which is crucial for the EU to achieve its goal of reducing CO2 emissions and "strengthening the competitiveness of the EU automotive industry."
Austrian Climate and Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler said, "The future of the automotive industry is electric." She stated that Europe cannot fall behind in this technology, as the EU did in the smartphone sector, with Finland's Nokia being an early champion in the mobile phone field.