You would think that the whole discussion around the ban on internal combustion engines in 2035 would be a nice vehicle to learn about how decision-making works in Europe, but in fact it is getting more complicated by the day. Now the ‘Coreper I’ committee of the EU has decided that the ban on internal combustion engines in 2035 has been put on hold for a while. The reason is that Germany has become obstinate.
The European Council defines Coreper I as ‘the deputy permanent representatives of all member states’. Yes, as if they want to make it confusing. Simply put, it is a group of representatives from each EU country. It is the middle layer of the EU when it comes to making decisions. This committee makes rules that still have to be approved by the Council.
The proposal gets stuck in the middle
In most cases, Council approval is a formality. Only matters that Coreper cannot resolve or matters that are very sensitive still need to be considered by the Council. In this case, Coreper steps on the brakes before the ban on internal combustion engines goes to the Council. So the proposal is now stuck half way when it was actually ready to go to the Council.
Everyone thought (for the hundredth time) that the ban was final, but Germany is now throwing itself in front of the ban. Germany is against a complete ban on combustion engines and wants an exception for engines that run on synthetic fuels. This factory-made peut would be CO2 neutral and thus make a complete ban on petrol and diesel engines unnecessary.
A decision had to be made this week
German finance minister Christian Lindner told the German Media on Thursday that his goal is not to let the ban go through. He wants to allow the sale of petrol engines, as long as they run on synthetic fuel. The proposal was supposed to go to the Council on March 7 and then be final, but that shit has been withdrawn. Incidentally, enough German ministers disagree with Lindner again.
Coreper I decided to postpone the decision on the 2035 car emissions target from 7 March to a later Council meeting. Coreper will revert to the issue in due time.
— Daniel Holmberg (@danielholmberg) March 3, 2023
Germany is needed for the majority
Since the beginning there have been countries that are against a complete ban, but why is the EU stepping on the brakes now? Without Germany, the proposal no longer has a majority. Because Italy, Poland and Bulgaria are also against the proposal. Without our neighbour, at least 15 of the 27 would not support the ban and the proposal would not reach 65 percent approval.
So what now?
A solution to satisfy Germany, that is what the committee must now discuss. Germany will probably have to prove that the synthetic fuels are really sustainable. And a way must be devised to guarantee that people who buy a new petrol car in 2035 will actually fill up with the artificial pod. You already heard it: to be continued.
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