Belgium has announced its decision on new truck emissions standards, originally scheduled for Wednesday (February 7), after Germany withdrew previous support for the law, leaving a majority vote uncertain. The vote by EU ambassadors was postponed until Friday.
The EU’s new CO2 standards for trucks will cut the average tailpipe emissions of new cars by 90% by 2040, with manufacturers required to sell mainly electric and hydrogen trucks by that date. .
It was first reported by Euractiv on Tuesday. The German government surprisingly failed to agree to support this agreement. The proposed deal was found between EU countries and the European Parliament in January after the Liberal Transport Ministry withdrew its support.
Some small countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, have already expressed opposition to the law, and Italy’s support is unclear, so it is doubtful that there will be a majority in favor of the law without Germany. Key demands for mechanisms considering alternative fuels was not included.
“This will not be voted on in Kolepel today,” German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit told reporters on Wednesday in connection with a meeting of EU ambassadors from the 27 member states.
“The vote has been postponed until Friday,” he said, adding: “We can tell you what Germany’s position will be on Friday.”
An EU diplomat told Euractic that the decision by the Belgian presidency to postpone the vote was based on a “probability outlook” that a qualified majority was in favor of the law.
According to Germany’s coalition rules, if a joint position of the coalition partners cannot be found, Germany must abstain from voting at EU level. This usually amounts to a de facto “no”, as EU-level legislation requires a majority of 15 countries, representing 65% of the population, to vote in favor.
Asked about the Transport Ministry’s position, a spokesperson for the ministry said: “We cannot predict a vote in Korepar.”
The liberal FDP, which leads the Department of Transport, is a vocal supporter of “tech openness” and says vehicles with internal combustion engines should be banned because they can be used in a climate-neutral way by using alternative fuels. He claims that there is no.
Already last year, proposed CO2 standards for cars, which would include a de facto ban on new cars with internal combustion engines by 2035, were halted following the last-minute intervention of Liberal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP/Renew).
The blockade could only be resolved after the European Commission signed an agreement with Wissing, pledging to create a new category of vehicles that run on internal combustion engines but only use climate-neutral fuel, known as e-fuels. .
FDP now supports the consideration of multiple alternative fuels, including biofuels, as a means to decarbonize heavy transport.
“As you know, we at FDP support the openness of technology and want to ensure that alternative fuels (anything that is considered an alternative fuel under the Renewable Energy Directive) can be used for heavy transport. ” FDP member of the European Parliament Jan-Christophe Oetchen told Euractic on Tuesday, adding that this is the party’s position in parliament.
The blockade of Wishing received party support.
After the bill became public, Wissing’s decision not to vote in favor of the legislation was publicly supported by his party.
“The FDP parliamentary group is not in favor of recognizing the results of the tripartite talks,” German parliamentarian and FDP environmental affairs chair in the Bundestag told Euractic.
“Although many improvements have been made compared to the commission’s original plan, the final outcome of the trial is not satisfactory to us,” she added.
Meanwhile, environmental groups are up in arms.
“FDP is once again sabotaging climate protection, this time putting the decarbonization of freight transport at risk,” Pauline Schull, head of transport at environmental NGO Nav, told Euractic.
“Transport Minister Volker Wissing is trying to push the vested interests of the fuel industry, rather than defending German manufacturers who are already focused on e-mobility and fearing technological leadership,” she added.
The Environment Ministry, led by Green Minister Steffi Lemke, was in favor of the law, as it was formally negotiating with Germany at EU level.
“You should ask BMDV about your concerns. [Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport]” a Ministry of the Environment spokesperson told reporters. The Ministry of Transport declined to comment.
