Von der Leynen: “Cars will only be carbon neutral”

“We will set an end date after which all cars must be emission-free. Otherwise, certainties will be lacking and we will not reach our climate neutrality goal by 2050 “. Ursula von Der Leynen shakes the car world, confirming the rumors we anticipated a few days ago: the European Commission will propose a deadline, set at 2035, after which all car manufacturers will have to stop selling internal combustion cars on the territory of the European Union.

EU, stop on diesel and petrol sales from 2035

The Commission also aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030, raising the previous target of a reduction of 37.5% by the end of the decade. Several European car manufacturers have already announced transition plans towards total electrification between 2028 and 2035, however the president of the European Commission has deemed it necessary to identify a time limit for this process. “The way in which auto brands will change their way of producing will depend only on them” said von der Leyen. “They know better than us how to develop new cars or new fuels.” The provision is part of “Fit for 55”, a package of measures on climate, environment and transport that aims to combat the climate changes underway by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The proposal will now have to be examined by the individual member countries and by the EU bodies, with a long process that could involve new changes.