Overview

• After a Brussels summit with auto leaders, the Commission said the review would be done as soon as possible and that a legislative proposal will be presented by year-end, with a follow-up dialogue in December.
• Two new working groups were launched to boost small, affordable electric cars and to define how technological neutrality should operate in practice.
• Industry and unions press for relief, with ACEA and Mercedes’ Ola Källenius urging room for hybrids and low‑carbon fuels, the VDA and IG Metall calling for adjustments including a 90% rather than 100% target, and VW asking for more time and flexibility.
• Commission officials emphasize the transition to electrification, with a concept paper calling the 2035 goal achievable and Vice President Stéphane Séjourné stating that 2035 must stay.
• Political pressure intensifies as EPP leader Manfred Weber vows to scrap the ban and Germany’s transport minister Patrick Schnieder seeks a rollback, while Audi’s Gernot Döllner and the ADAC warn that reopening the debate unsettles consumers and urge clarity.