The European Union’s efforts to promote the switch to electric cars face a fresh attack.
The Parliament’s lead negotiator for CO2 emissions standards reform, Massimiliano Salini, is set to push for an even greater rollback of an incoming ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel models.
The EU had agreed that only zero-emissions cars could be marketed from 2035. But under pressure from the automotive sector and capitals like Berlin and Rome, the European Commission proposed in December that a 90% reduction in average emissions would suffice, provided carmakers use cleanly produced steel and renewable fuels – scrapping what amounts to an internal combustion engine ban.
But Salini – vice-chair of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) – wants to cancel this conditionality, according to a draft report on the reform proposal that was leaked to the press and widely circulated on Monday. Moreover, the Italian lawmaker would then allow carmakers to cover up to 17…
