The European Parliament's Environment Committee voted on Wednesday to scale back the CO₂ reduction target for new cars and vans — an initial green light for backtracking on the 2035 ban on new internal combustion engines. MEPs adopted a proposal for revised CO₂ emissions targets, paired with incentives for clean vehicles made in the EU, a package that partly aligns with demands from France and Germany to ease the pressure on the bloc's automotive industry.
The vote marks a significant shift in EU climate policy and in the balance of power within Parliament, where a broad political consensus once supported progressively tighter CO₂ standards. With soaring energy costs weighing on the political debate, the file now moves to the December plenary session, which will be called upon to endorse it — thereby granting Parliament its mandate for interinstitutional negotiations with the Council of the EU.
The committee's position was steered by a rapporteur from Forza Italia, underscoring the new political constellation behind the file. Across Central and Eastern Europe, where manufacturers and suppliers plan their product lines years in advance, the outcome of the upcoming Parliament-Council negotiations will be watched closely as a signal of how fast — or how slowly — the region's car fleets will be pushed toward electrification.
