Combustion phase-out: Two EU committees back 95% instead of 100% CO2 cut
The European Parliament's industry and transport committees have approved a compromise requiring new-car fleets to cut CO2 by 95% by 2035 — or as little as 87.5% with green steel.
Archive image · Photo: Diliff / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Two European Parliament committees voted on Oct. 22 to relax CO2 rules for new cars. The compromise, negotiated by the EPP, S&D and Renew groups, would require manufacturers to cut their fleets' CO2 emissions by 95 percent from 2021 levels by 2035, instead of 100 percent. Carmakers using European green steel could count up to 7.5 percentage points toward the goal, leaving an 87.5 percent cut in the worst case.
The industry committee voted 49-27 with five abstentions; the transport committee voted 27-18 with one abstention. Opponents included the ECR, Patriots, the Left and the Greens, according to electrive. The change would keep new registrations of combustion and hybrid cars possible after 2035. The European Commission proposed a 90 percent cut at the end of 2025, and Germany and France recently agreed on 90 percent without offsets.
Nothing is final: The lead environment committee is expected to vote in early November and the full Parliament probably in December, electrive reported. The Council must then approve by qualified majority. Until a change takes effect, the existing 100 percent rule for 2035 applies.