EU: Ban on internal combustion engine cars voted by the EU Parliament

 

The European Parliament today approved a proposed ban on internal combustion engine cars in 2035 to combat climate change by accelerating the development of electric vehicles.

The law passed was a Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Regulation (EU) 2019/631 as regards strengthening the CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles in line with the Union’s increased climate ambition.

Under the regulation, car manufacturers must reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 100% by the middle of the next decade. In practice, this would mean a ban on the sale of new cars powered by gasoline or diesel in the EU of 27.

EU lawmakers also voted for a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions from cars in 2030 compared to 2021, a move that deepens an existing commitment by the auto industry to cut CO2 emissions by an average of 37.5% year-on-year by the end of the decade.

EU member state governments and/or parliaments must now make their judgments in the coming weeks or months before a final EU agreement on stricter car emissions rules is finalized.

The motor vehicle law is being scrutinized as part of a package of draft EU climate legislation covering a range of other polluting industries.