It is definitive: by 2035, no more new combustion engine cars will be sold in Europe.
The European Parliament voted on Tuesday in Strasbourg to end the sale of new cars and vans with combustion engines, which generate CO2, by 2035. The vote, which followed an agreement reached last October with the Member States (Council), was won by 340 votes to 279 with 21 abstentions.
This agreement aims to achieve zero emission road mobility by 2035 for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. This means a de facto red light on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by that date. In the meantime, emissions from new cars must be reduced by 55% by 2030 compared to 2021, and by 50% for vans.
Jobs at risk?
Critics of the deal have focused on the risk of job losses and higher car prices, but Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans, in charge of the European Green Pact, rejects these claims. "The operating costs of electric cars have already fallen and in a few years' time it will be cheaper to buy an electric car than a combustion engine car," he said.
The transition has already begun.
In the meantime, emissions from new cars must be reduced by 55% by 2030 compared to 2021, and by 50% for vans.
In Europe, diesel and petrol cars still represent on average more than 90% of the car fleet, but the transition has begun. The various governments have set themselves the target of making the electric engine the first choice for all company cars by 2026 - 2030, and taxation has started to be adapted.
The new legislation is part of the 'Fit for 55' package, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 and put Europe on a climate neutral path by 2050.