The Swedish presidency of the Council has decided to postpone the formal sign-off of new CO2 emission standards for cars and vans, originally scheduled for March 7, “to a later Council meeting,” a spokesperson announced on Friday.
The Council’s formal approval of the new standards, which would effectively end the sale of new combustion engine cars from 2035, was supposed to be a formality after EU countries waved the deal through in November.
But Germany’s Transport Minister Volker Wissing, a member of the liberal Free Democrats party, this week warned that Berlin would withhold its support unless the European Commission put forward a plan to carve out a role for e-fuels after 2035.
Italy has also threatened to oppose the reforms. Together with Poland and Bulgaria, which also disagree with the plans, the countries could block the new legislation at the eleventh hour.
EU ambassadors, who were supposed to lay the groundwork for Council’s approval at a meeting on Friday, “will revert to the issue in due time,” the spokesperson said.
