Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger (CDU) defended the phased phase-out of internal combustion engines, stating that the understanding reached between Germany and France provides necessary planning security and a viable economic future for Europe’s, and particularly Germany’s, automotive industry. Bilger maintained that the ambitious climate goals set for the continent must remain in place, but emphasized that the path to achieving them needs to be more flexible-not relying solely on prohibitions, but allowing room for innovation. He stressed the commitment to “industrially rational and technology-open” approaches rather than rigidly fixing onto a single type of drive system.
Bilger clarified that vehicles with internal combustion engines would continue to be registered and used even after 2035, provided they utilize renewable fuels. According to the minister, renewable fuels can continue playing a vital role in climate protection moving forward. This new Franco-German agreement is set to pave the way for a technology-open and climate-friendly future for the European automotive sector and is viewed as a crucial signal for the standing of German industry in global competition.
The minister added that the previous format of the engine ban was a “mistake,” asserting that the federal government is fulfilling its promise to introduce a correction to the existing course and promote greater technological openness.
Currently, the EU aims to ban new registrations of combustion engine vehicles across the bloc starting in 2035, with a reduction target set at 100 percent for average CO2 emissions. Last year, the European Commission proposed lowering this target to 90 percent, with the remaining 10 percent meant to be offset by other measures like EU-derived low-carbon steel, e-fuels, or bio-fuels. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the new Franco-German proposal also involves a reduction to 90 percent, but without mandating that the remaining ten percent must be compensated for through extra measures.
