EU lawmakers back ban on new fossil fuel cars from 2035

Agencies

BRUSSELS: European Parliament lawmakers on Wednesday voted to support an effective EU ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035, rejecting attempts to weaken the proposal to speed Europe’s shift to electric vehicles.

Lawmakers supported a proposal, made by the European Commission last year, to require a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035, which would make it impossible to sell fossil fuel-powered vehicles in the EU from that date.

Attempts by some lawmakers to weaken the target to a 90% CO2 cut by 2035 were rejected.

The law is not yet final. Wednesday’s vote confirms the parliament’s position for upcoming negotiations with EU countries on the final law.

The aim is to speed Europe’s shift to electric vehicles and embolden carmakers to invest heavily in electrification, aided by another EU law that will require countries to install millions of vehicle chargers.

The draft law on cleaner cars is part of a package of proposed European legislation that would slash EU greenhouse gases by 55% in 2030 compared with 1990 rather than by just a previously agreed 40% over the period.

A big portion of these cuts would come from power plants and factories.

These two sectors, unlike cars, have their greenhouse gases curbed in the EU by a European emissions-trading system that every year reduces the total supply of required pollution permits.

Earlier Wednesday, the EU parliament failed to advance this part of the climate package because of a split over the pace at which the free allocation of some emission permits — as opposed to the auctioning of them — should be phased out. The assembly asked its environment committee to reopen deliberations on the matter.