France, Italy and several European countries increased pressure in Brussels on Tuesday to oppose possible fines that could sanction car manufacturers in the event of non-compliance with the CO2 emissions reduction targets in 2025 within the European Union. .
France had added this item to the agenda of a meeting of EU environment ministers. In defending the CO2 reduction targets, the French Minister for the Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, called for “flexibilities and adjustments” so as not to penalize European manufacturers in the face of international competition. These fines would constitute a “counterproductive approach” that “weakens our industry and does not accelerate the electrification” of vehicles, he said.
Several countries have gone in the same direction, including Italy, which believes that these “sanctions would significantly limit the industry’s ability to reinvest in innovation.” The Czechs and Slovenes defended the same position, according to two European diplomats. The European Commissioner for Climate, Wopke Hoekstra, indicated that he would report on the interventions of the different Member States, without commenting on the substance.
“Premature” debate
At the beginning of November, the European Commission considered this debate “premature”. “We will see at the end of 2025 how many cars have been sold and what the emissions are,” said a spokesperson. But in the midst of the crisis in the European automobile sector, the manufacturers’ lobby requested an “urgent” consultation with the Commission to avoid these fines, alleging the erosion of sales of electric vehicles.
Car manufacturers must respect an annual average of emissions per car sold in Europe. This standard called CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requires them to progressively sell increasingly less polluting vehicles. Until now it has been generally respected, but it must reach a new level from January, with a tightening of the rules and sanctions.
At the end of November, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, promised to soon begin “a strategic dialogue” on the future of the European automobile industry, amid turbulence. In the name of the ecological transition, the EU plans to ban the sale of new thermal vehicles in 2035.
Source: BFM TV
