European Union Countries Agree Deal To Cut Emissions By 2035
European Union countries on Wednesday reached a deal backing stricter emission rules that would eliminate carbon emissions from new cars by 2035.
European Union countries on Wednesday reached a deal backing stricter emission rules that would eliminate carbon emissions from new cars by 2035 following hard-fought talks that dragged into the early hours of the morning.
The 27 EU members found a common agreement on draft legislation aimed at slashing the EU greenhouse gases by at least 55% in 2030 compared with 1990 rather than by a previously agreed 40%.
Frans Timmermans, the European Commission Vice-President in charge of the Green Deal, said it was up to car manufacturers to deliver on emissions limits.
“What we want is zero emission cars, and what we want is to reach the climate neutrality target by 2050. And for that we need to do a lot in transport and mobility and we need to reduce strongly the emissions,” he said.
The deal on the five laws proposed by the EU’s executive arm last year paves the way for final negotiations with the European Parliament. EU lawmakers are backing ambitious bloc-wide targets and final approval of the legislative package will now require the Parliament to iron out differences with the bloc’s national governments over various details.
The decision to introduce a 100% CO2 emissions reduction target by 2035 for new cars and vans will effectively prohibit the sale in the 27-nation bloc of new cars powered by gasoline or diesel.
In addition to the landmark agreement on cars, the package also features a reform of the EU’s carbon market and the creation of a social climate fund to help vulnerable households cope with the planned clean-energy revamp. That particular issue has become more politically sensitive as Russia’s war in Ukraine has sent fuel prices soaring.
The overall goal is to put the EU on track to become climate-neutral in 2050 and to prod other major polluters, including the United States and China, to follow suit.
