Seven EU countries push Brussels to resist further weakening of car emission targets
The document signed by seven EU countries reveals a growing divide within Europe between governments seeking flexibility for car manufacturers and those determined to preserve the integrity of the EU’s carbon emissions trajectory.
Seven EU countries have urged Brussels to resist any rollback of CO2 standards for cars and vans, arguing that weakening emissions rules would endanger Europe’s climate objectives, economic competitiveness and energy security, according to a document seen by Euronews.
The plea from Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden comes after EU leaders, last December, eased a proposed European Commission ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines by 2035 in response to pressure from several governments and automakers. Instead, the EU executive proposed a 90% reduction in car CO2 emissions by 2035.
In the informal document, the countries jointly reaffirmed their support for the rapid electrification of cars and vans across the bloc, calling for expanded charging infrastructure and incentives to stimulate consumer demand.
"The electrification trajectory of the European light vehicle fleet can reduce our exposure to future geopolitical crisis and fossil fuel price shocks. It is also a direct and sustainable response to increase affordability by shielding road users from rising fuel prices," reads the document.
Germany and Italy sought flexibility
With the political support from Germany and Italy, the centrist European People's Party in the European Parliament was instrumental in revoking the ban, arguing that EU law affecting member states should be grounded in technological neutrality, which essentially gives national governments the freedom to choose the best way to maintain competitiveness while cutting emissions.
Veteran lawmaker Manfred Weber (Germany/EPP) held a high-level car summit on 13 May to maintain momentum as political groups are seeking compromises on the revised law.
“We didn’t support the 2035 regulation (combustion engine ban) in the last mandate. We promised during the election campaign two years ago that we would get rid of the ban on the combustion engine, and now we are delivering. The European Commission was proposing the revised regulation in December based on the EPP promises,” Weber told a press conference.
Weber is seeking support among lawmakers from the Socialists and liberals in the Parliament, even though it seems likely that the EPP’s chairman will find backing from right-wing parties such as the Patriots for Europe, the third-largest group in the Parliament.
Now, the seven capitals are warning against efforts to further dilute the EU’s automotive decarbonisation rules, with the latest draft report from the Parliament's leading negotiator, lawmaker Massimiliano Salini (Italy/EPP), hinting at even less ambition than the revised Commission proposal, such as relaxing some emissions targets and giving manufacturers more time to comply.
Electrification means triple win, EU countries say
The seven countries defend that electrification is no longer just an environmental objective but a geopolitical necessity, contending that a growing electric vehicle fleet can reduce exposure to fuel price volatility, improve air quality and help achieve the EU’s climate targets.
Electric car sales in Europe reportedly increased by 33 percent in the first quarter compared with the previous year, the signatories argue, presenting this as evidence that consumers increasingly view EVs as a practical response to rising fuel costs.
The seven capitals acknowledge that limited flexibilities may be justified but insist they must remain tightly controlled and linked to genuine environmental and industrial commitments. Their concern is that excessive concessions would weaken investment certainty and slow the transition already underway across Europe’s automotive sector.
"Flexibilities for manufacturers to meet their CO2 targets must remain strictly limited, conditional, and carefully designed so as not to dilute the long-term investment signal towards electrification, weaken regulatory certainty, or slow down the industrial transition already under way across the European automotive value chain," reads the document.
