Brussels, Berlin, Frankfurt.
An old dispute continues into the new year: Can vehicles with conventional internal combustion engines still be allowed after 2035 if they are powered by the synthetic fuel E-Fuels?
The EU had decided to phase out internal combustion engines last spring. However, following pressure and a dramatic turnaround by the German Minister of Transport, Volker Wissing (FDP), who threatened to block the entire bill, the EU Commission agreed to create an exemption for E-Fuels.
The intensity of the dispute is evident from the fact that no solution has been found yet for the design of the exemption. Even in the agenda of the next meeting of the relevant committee, the agenda item "E-Fuels" is not to be found. The positions remain deeply entrenched."