EU not informed of Irish plans for ban on sale of cars using fossil fuels

Government 'has not even begun process' of notification of 2030 ban

The EU's internal market commissioner Thierry Breton confirmed that 'no notification of a measure banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 has been made to the Commission in the Technical Regulation Information System database'. Picture: Larry Cummins

The Government has not yet informed the EU of its plans to ban the sale of cars using fossil fuels by 2030.

The Government announced last year its intention to implement the law by the beginning of December 2020 — setting a 10-year countdown for the legal sale of petrol and diesel cars — but it cannot proceed without formally notifying the EU of a change to the parameters of trade.

However, in a response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin MEP Chris McManus, the EU's internal market commissioner Thierry Breton said: "To date, no notification of a measure banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 has been made to the Commission in the Technical Regulation Information System database."

The Government committed to introducing a 2030 ban on fossil fuel cars, as set out in the National Development Plan, the 2019 Climate Action Plan, and the programme for government.

The ban was not included in the Government's controversial Climate Action Bill because, under EU law, partial or total bans on the selling of products could fall under the definition of ‘technical regulation’, sparking fears it might have delayed the Climate Bill, which is domestic policy.

Sinn Féin's spokesperson on climate and environment Lynn Boylan said that the fact the Government has not even begun the notification process will come as a shock and disappointment to many.

"When the climate bill was published in October and the ban was absent from it, the Greens assured us that it was a procedural issue," she said.

Instead, the ban would be dealt with separately and implemented by the beginning of December 2020, yet here we are in January and it appears that not only is there no legislation but they haven’t even begun the process."

A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications said: "The Government will engage with the European Commission and the Attorney General on making a case for a derogation under EU law to this end. 

"It should also be noted that the European Commission’s communication on stepping up Europe’s 2030 climate ambition, published on September 17 last, also confirmed its commitment, as part of the EU Green Deal, to assess the measures that will be required for the car sector to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and by what point internal combustion engines in cars should stop coming to the market."