The combustion engine will be over from 2035
The EU has set itself lofty goals for climate protection. Consumers and business will have to make sacrifices to achieve them. Boss Ursula von der Leyen gives a first foretaste.
The EU Commission wants to bring the end of all conventional gasoline and diesel cars on the way. “In the past few weeks, around a dozen manufacturers in the EU announced that they would switch to emission-free production between 2028 and 2035. “We will still set a time frame by which all cars must be emission-free,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Otherwise there would be a lack of planning security and climate neutrality will not be achieved by 2050.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Already reported on Tuesday evening that shortly before the official presentation of the “Fit-for-55” climate package on Wednesday, the EU commissioners agreed on how much the car industry should reduce sales of new cars in the next few years. According to this, the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines in the EU should end from 2035.
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Manufacturers remain responsible for production
“How they change their production is up to the manufacturers themselves,” emphasized Ursula von der Leyen. “They know best how to develop new cars or new fuels.” In addition to electric cars, combustion engines can also be climate-neutral if they run on hydrogen or synthetic fuels. If produced correctly, these energy sources do not produce any additional greenhouse gases.
This Wednesday, the EU Commission will present legislative proposals designed to ensure that the European climate protection targets for 2030 are achieved. The proposed measures are intended to enable EU countries to reduce greenhouse gases by at least 55 percent below the 1990 level by 2030. This, in turn, is a prerequisite for ensuring that no more climate-damaging gases will be released into the atmosphere by 2050.
At the end of the day, the goal is to stop man-made climate change and its consequences. Scientists see global warming as a reason for rising sea levels and weather-related natural disasters such as cyclones, hail, floods and forest fires.
Consumption of fossil fuels is to be reduced
In addition to the timeframe for emission-free vehicles, the Commission also wants to propose an EU-wide emissions trading system for the transport and building sector. This would mean that the consumption of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or mineral oil for heating or the transport of people and goods would become even more expensive.
Road traffic is the only sector in which emissions have even increased in recent years, von der Leyen told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Something has to be countered. “At the same time, we will set up a social fund specifically for climate costs,” said von der Leyen. This is how you ensure that households with low incomes get compensation.
In Germany, the proposals to limit emissions from road traffic are eagerly awaited. Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) warned the EU Commission shortly before the publication of its package that the course was too hard. Scheuer told the German Press Agency in Berlin: “I believe that all automobile and truck manufacturers are aware that there are stricter requirements. But they have to be technically feasible. And if you change the specifications every six months, then planning security becomes difficult. “
“In road traffic we must have a fuel alternative for the phasing out of the fossil combustion engine in 2035,” said Scheuer. “In the case of cars, I am part of the fact that electric drives are the main focus.” With trucks, however, you have to rely more on hydrogen. “We import crude oil, so we will also be able to import a large part of hydrogen in the future.”
Scheuer also spoke out against a possible European kerosene tax. “I have nothing against ambitious specifications, nor anything against tightening, it helps with planning security and leads to innovations.” But if airlines refueled their planes in Istanbul or elsewhere, then that would be wrong, says Scheuer.
The Federal Association of Freight Transport, Logistics and Waste Management is assuming that battery-powered trucks for long-distance transport will probably not be available until 2025 at the earliest, due to the currently still enormous battery weights. “The first hydrogen truck in series production is planned for 2027”, according to the association.
Reduction of emissions is beneficial for companies
Discussion is also expected about the expected proposals to adapt the already existing trading system for CO2 emissions. Certain companies already need pollution certificates, which they either have to buy at auction or are given free of charge. Since the number of available certificates is continuously falling and they can also be traded retrospectively, there is a great incentive for companies to reduce their emissions as much as possible.
The views of conservationists and Minister of Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier (CDU) differ widely here. While Altmaier emphasizes that the steel industry urgently needs free certificates, the WWF demands that they no longer be issued in the future.
After the proposals have been presented this Wednesday, the real negotiations will begin. They will mainly be conducted between the member states in the Council of the EU and the European Parliament. How long the talks will last is unclear. In principle, however, speed is of the essence in order to give industry and consumers as much time as possible for the changes and reductions. dpa
