‘Clinging to combustion engines won’t make European automakers great again’

Brussels softens its 2035 car emissions target as trade pressures, industry lobbying and competitiveness fears reshape EU climate policy

China is continuing its rapid electrification of transport, and foreign brands are being muscled aside in the world’s biggest car market. Stock picture

In the wake of increased trade tension with the US and a post-Draghi report hangover that has reset the continent’s priorities, the EU has done what policymakers could not have imagined just five years ago and pulled back from an effective ban on combustion engines following strong lobbying from Europe’s most powerful car makers.

Earlier this week, the European Commission made public proposals that reverse an effective ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine cars from 2035, bowing to concentrated pressure from Germany, the EU’s biggest market, Italy, and major automakers across the 27-member bloc.