Once upon a time, there was an EU regulation that mandated the end of the manufacture of internal combustion engine vehicles from 2035. 

It was the cornerstone of the Green Deal, but the ecological transition of the automotive sector has been the first to give way under pressure from the manufacturers’ lobby – with the decisive backing of the European People’s Party (EPP), the right-wingers and numerous national governments, foremost among them Italy and Germany, along with several Eastern European countries. On the opposite side, defending the phase-out of the traditional engines by 2035, were Spain, France and several Nordic countries.

The stop to the production of internal combustion engines to open the way for electric vehicles was indeed a reality – but only at a particular point in the past, when Ursula von der Leyen was pushing hard for the Green Deal. On Tuesday, however, the EU Commission – meeting in Strasbourg where the European Parliament plenary is underway – presented the “Automotive Package,” which represents a decisive step backwards for the future of vehicles produced and marketed in the EU, from both an industrial and energy perspective. With the revision of the rules, there is no more phase-out of polluting gasoline and diesel engines within 10 years, because the cut in CO2 emissions is changed from 100% to 90%.........

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