EU groups back easing 2035 petrol and diesel car ban

Three major political groups in the European Parliament have agreed to ease emissions rules, potentially allowing new petrol and diesel cars to be sold in the EU after 2035, SVT reported. Swedish Social Democrat Åsa Westlund criticised the deal, despite her party’s European group backing it.

The agreement was reached in a parliamentary committee on Tuesday by the conservative EPP, the Social Democrat S&D and the liberal Renew groups, which together hold a majority in the Parliament. The Parliament is due to vote on the proposal in November.

EU countries had previously agreed to ban combustion engines from 2035, which would in practice prevent the sale of new petrol and diesel passenger cars. The European Commission proposed easing the rules over the winter as concerns grew about the crisis in Europe’s car industry.

Sweden has defended the ban, as has Volvo Cars, which has invested heavily in electric cars. Westlund, the Swedish Social Democrats’ climate policy spokesperson, said weakening the requirements would be bad for the climate and jobs in Sweden. She said Volvo had made an early transition and would benefit from keeping the rules in place.

Westlund said Swedish Social Democrats were strongly opposed to weakening the requirements on the car industry. She also warned that doing so could shift more of the burden to sectors that find it harder to transition and could cost jobs in Sweden.

The issue will also be considered in the EU Council of Ministers. The red-green parties hold a majority on parliamentary committees in Sweden and have significant influence over the government’s EU policy. Westlund said Sweden would push to keep the combustion-engine ban in place and should work with other countries to defend the interests of its vehicle industry.