breaking latest news – It was only supposed to be a formal step, the vote at the meeting of EU ambassadors on the final green light to stop the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035. But the opposition of the Italian government, combined with the perplexity of Germany and the opposition already announced in the past by Poland (and the abstention of Bulgaria), has called everything into question.
The Swedish presidency of the EU has decided – to avoid a fatal rejection of the regulation – to postpone the vote to Friday and gain 48 hours to convince Berlin and maybe even Rome. Qualified majority voting is envisaged in the Council: 55% of the States (15 out of 27) representing 65% of the population. Calculating the vote with the opposition of Italy, Poland and the abstention of Germany and Bulgaria, the criterion of a majority of states would be satisfied but the percentage of the population represented would stop at 58.15. So the measure would be rejected.
“Our clear-cut stance, together with that of other countries such as Poland and Bulgaria, have led to further reflections on an issue that is decisive, not so much and not only in the automotive sector but on the industrial policy that Europe must put in place to respond to China’s great systemic challenge and also to the assertive policy of the United States“, confirmed the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, during question time in the Chamber.
According to the minister, in Europe “there is an ongoing reflection, I would say a rethinking, both in the European Parliament and in the Council because there is a tendency to acknowledge reality, one must acknowledge reality just as others have it tax”.
In particular, the declarations of the German Minister of Transport, Volker Wissing, prompted the reflection. “The European Commission would prefer to only allow battery-powered vehicles. We see it differently“, he said yesterday in a video on Twitter announcing his intervention to allow vehicles with combustion engines to be registered even beyond 2035.
The position of Italy
“Italy shares and is fully committed to the objective of decarbonising the road transport sector, as reducing the sector’s CO2 emissions, in particular those deriving from cars and light vehicles, is essential to achieve the climate objectives of the Union. We believe that, in the road transport sector, decarbonisation must be pursued in compliance with the principles of an economically sustainable and socially just transition towards zero emissions and technological neutrality. We are certainly in favor of the electrification of light vehicles. We do not believe , however, that it should represent, in the transition phase, the only path to achieve zero emissions”.
This is how Italy explained – in a national document sent to the EU presidency and to the other states – the reasons for its opposition to the regulation. “Electrification requires significant changes across the entire automotive industry that need to be carefully planned and driven, in order to avoid unwanted economic, industrial and social effects. Cars with internal combustion engines are owned by low-income citizens and will remain on the road beyond 2035. The success of electric cars will greatly depend on how affordable they become for these citizens.
Italy points out that “by setting a 100% emissions reduction target in 2035 and not providing any incentive for the use of renewable fuels, the proposed regulation is not in line with the principle of technological neutrality. Therefore, Italy cannot support it.”
In the national declaration, the Italian side then recalls some priority conditions that must be ensured to allow the achievement of a 100% emission reduction target, including:
- the development of a value chain of electric motors and batteries in the Union;
- a sustainable and diversified supply of the necessary raw materials;
- adequate charging and refueling infrastructure;
- an improvement of the electricity network, so that it can cope with the increase in demand;
- an adaptation of the entire automotive sector, including through the provision of the necessary skills;
- the market acceptance of new vehicles, which should be available at an affordable price, especially for the most vulnerable families and consumers.
The declaration also underlines that so far the approach chosen by the Union for the automotive sector has been predominantly regulatory.
A series of initiatives are therefore listed which, from the Italian point of view, should be adopted by the European Commission:
- support the transition of the automotive sector, in particular of SMEs, with all available legislative and financial means;
- timely and comprehensively monitor and report on progress towards zero-emission road mobility, considering all factors contributing to a cost-effective and just transition, including an assessment of possible funding gaps;
- ensure, on the basis of this monitoring, a rigorous and credible review of the targets in 2026;
- follow up on the provision which provides for the registration, after 2035, of vehicles powered exclusively with fuels with zero CO2 emissions;
- submit a proposal to include mechanisms for accounting for the benefits of renewable fuels in terms of reducing CO2 emissions in the Regulation.