European deputies validated, Thursday, May 8, a relaxation of the rules imposed on car manufacturers in terms of CO₂ emissions, in order to avoid fines in 2025 – a wish of the European executive to support this industry in crisis. This flexibility mechanism is part of the automotive industry support plan that the President of the Commission had announced at the beginning of March, Ursula von der Leyen.
The system, denounced by environmentalists, consists in taking into account three years, from 2025 to 2027, instead of a single year. This offers a delayed delayed manufacturers on the objectives and prevents them from exposure of December 31, 2025. The measure concerns the manufacture and marketing of new vehicles, cars and light utilities.
The text adopted in plenary session in Strasbourg (458 votes to, 101 against, 14 abstentions) was supported by a majority made up of the right (European People’s Party, PPE), the Socialist and Democrats group as well as centrists and liberals from Renew.
“The pressure of the manufacturers was such that it was deemed necessary to establish an average over three years instead of raising the counters on December 31”explained to the Agency France-Presse (AFP) the French MEP Pascal Canfin (Renew).
For the PPE, the first group of Parliament, MEP Laurent Castillo praised “A first step to strengthen the European automotive market” exhausted by competition from Chinese in electricity. The French elected official said he now in the viewfinder 2035 and the deadline for the prohibition of sales in the European Union (EU) of thermal motor cars. “The next step will be to revise this obligation. »»
“Enme decline”
Conversely, Saskia Bricmont (the Greens / European Free Alliance) accused this relaxation on the fines of “Delay the marketing of electric vehicles at affordable prices which are essential” For European consumers. “It is incomprehensible, it is yet another decline in the fight against climate change”wrote this elected Belgian in a press release.
On the far right side, the patriotic group for Europe – where French elected officials from the National Rally (RN) sit – judged “Insufficient” this flexibility over three years, calling for “Completely repeal” The EU fines mechanism. “Europeans do not adhere to the strategy of all-electric (…), Whatever the ideologues of Brussels think ”launched the president of the RN, Jordan Bardella, in front of the press.