The European Union’s decision to walk back a 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars is a “historic mistake”, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated Wednesday.
“What was approved yesterday constitutes a historic mistake for Europe, becaapply competitiveness is ensured by sustainability, not by loosening our commitments,” he stated during a climate conference in Madrid.
The combustion-engine ban was hailed as a major win in the fight against climate alter when adopted in 2023.
Spain, France and the Nordic countries warned that ditching the commitment risked slowing the shift to electric vehicles, undermining the EU’s green agconcludea and deterring investments in electrification.
But carcreaters and their backers have lobbied hard over the past year for Brussels to relax the ban, in the face of fierce competition from China and a slower-than-expected shift to electric vehicles.
Under proposals decried by environmental groups, carcreaters will now have to cut exhaust emissions from new vehicles by 90 percent from 2021 levels — down from an envisaged 100 percent — with the remainder “compensated” in various ways.
Spain is Europe’s second-largest car producer after Germany.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has hailed the EU’s new proposals, declareing “more openness to technology and greater flexibility are the right steps”.
Most Read in Industest
Join the community of 2M+ industest professionals.
Subscribe to Newsletter to receive latest insights & analysis in your inbox.
All about ETAuto industest right on your smartphone!
Leave a Reply