Berlin and Paris are running into a wall. The push by Germany and France to weaken the European Union's ban on new internal-combustion engines from 2035 is meeting stiff resistance from other member states, reports Insider — a rare public rift inside the bloc over the future of the ICE, and one with direct consequences for car markets across Central and Eastern Europe.
According to Newsbomb, the effort by Paris and Berlin to loosen the combustion-engine rules further is provoking sharp reactions, with fear of Chinese competition never far from the argument. For the member states standing in the way, any softening of the 2035 deadline would undermine a cornerstone of EU climate policy just as the global race to electrify accelerates.
Campaigners are fighting back with numbers. Transport & Environment (T&E) argues that electric vehicles are the bloc's essential tool for cutting oil use, and proponents of a 'green' overhaul of corporate car taxation estimate that a targeted €85 million investment in tax deductibility could stimulate the purchase of an additional 100,000 low-emission vehicles.
The Commission's latest data will not help the ban's opponents. EU greenhouse gas emissions fell again in 2025, but at a slower pace than before, and Brussels — which remains committed to cutting net emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 — is warning that more must be done, with Italy singled out as lagging behind. A decelerating emissions curve strengthens the hand of governments determined to keep the 2035 deadline intact.
For Central and Eastern Europe's car trade, the standoff means planning fog rather than clarity. Dealers and fleet buyers are left weighing the residual values of combustion stock against the pace of EV uptake, and many are hedging by comparing offers across borders — including on the European marketplace WorldTrader24.de.
For individual buyers the logic is the same: whatever Brussels finally decides about 2035, comparing offers across Europe remains the surest route to a fair deal. Readers looking for a vehicle can find sensational cars at sensational conditions at WorldTrader24, Europe's marketplace with over 70,000 vehicles.
