Overview
- EVP leader Manfred Weber says a deal in Brussels replaces the 100% zero‑emission requirement with a 90% fleet CO₂ reduction from 2035, with no full 100% target in 2040.
- The Commission is expected to present the proposal next week, though the wider auto package has slipped by weeks, and any change still requires approval by the European Parliament and EU member states.
- Reports indicate limited combustion engines could continue after 2035 if powered by e‑fuels, biofuels or other low‑emission fuels.
- The reported shift follows lobbying by national leaders, including a letter from Germany’s Friedrich Merz and a joint letter from Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Poland’s Donald Tusk.
- Officials frame the move as protecting industrial competitiveness and jobs, while analysts warn e‑fuels are costly, supply‑constrained and far less energy‑efficient than battery electric vehicles.