Germany has objected to setting targets for EU countries to allow only zero-emission cars by 2035. Such behavior in Germany is a source of irritation due to the complexities of party politics.
To combat climate change, the European Union wants to set a target to stop licensing new petrol and diesel cars after 2035. The European Parliament, the EU Commission and the governments of member states reached an agreement in principle on the matter last year. But the initiative has to be kept under wraps for the time being due to recent objections from Germany. The issue has also been left off the agenda for EU summits on Thursday and Friday.
Such complications arise as the smallest partner in Germany’s three-party coalition government, the liberal FDP party, is in charge of the transport ministry. Transport Minister Falker Vissing rejected the EU Commission’s proposal to allow so-called synthetic e-fuel-powered cars after 2035. Vissing is not withdrawing his objections even though the Commission has prepared a new draft of the proposal to accommodate that demand. He wants to present a new counter proposal. As a result, despite Germany’s talk of ‘constructive’ talks, there is resentment in Brussels. However, even if the issue is not resolved before the summit, a compromise is expected to be possible in the near future.
Despite Germany’s enthusiasm, the debate over synthetic e-fuels is far from over. There are still many real obstacles to the dream of using synthetic fuels to replace petrol or diesel to power conventional car engines to ensure the future of the huge car industry. First, such fuels are still in the research phase. Moreover, it is not clear how much carbon emissions will be produced to produce e-fuel. There is considerable skepticism that the German car industry is taking the initiative to continue with the combustion engine of conventional cars, relying only on such a solution.
Germany’s ‘go it alone’ policy is also causing discontent in France. Long known as the driving force of the European Union, the frequent conflicts and lack of coordination between the two countries have recently caused a slowdown. Key to the EU’s goal of establishing itself as a fully zero-emissions economic power by 2050 is the proposal to allow only zero-emission cars from 2035. Berlin’s last-minute objection is further angering Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss the issue with German Chancellor Olaf Schalz on Friday.
On the other hand, Germany is expressing its displeasure at France’s efforts to give more importance to nuclear power in order to increase the proportion of environmentally friendly technologies in energy production in Europe. Although clean on paper, Germany is highly skeptical about the risk of accidents at nuclear power plants and the future of nuclear waste. Moreover, the technology that France is trying to secure the future of energy by relying on fourth-generation nuclear reactors has not yet been launched.
