German minister: Not lifting EU combustion engine ban would be ‘electoral fraud’

2 months ago 19

As EU Socialists urge Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to stick to the 2035 ban on new petrol cars, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing warned that refusing to reverse the ban would be a “gigantic electoral fraud”.

Von der Leyen and her European People’s Party (EPP) are currently negotiating with political groups in the European Parliament to secure enough votes to get a second mandate in a parliamentary vote next week.

As part of the negotiations, the socialist S&D group had announced that its support would be conditional on maintaining the EU’s de facto 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars, as reported by Euractiv on Tuesday.

“If von der Leyen once again comes out in favour of a ban on combustion engines, the CDU will lose all its credibility,” wrote the transport minister of the liberal FDP on X in response to the Socialists’ announcement.

“It would be tantamount to gigantic electoral fraud. A firm commitment was made to stick to the end of the combustion ban,” he added.

The policy was adopted last year as part of the EU’s Green Deal, but von der Leyen’s CDU party promised to reverse the ban during its election campaign.

However, the highly politicised nature of the policy poses a dilemma for von der Leyen, who needs votes from her own party, the Socialists and Wissing’s Renew Europe, as well as potentially from the Greens.

While the Socialists and Greens are in favour of maintaining the ban, the FDP is strongly opposed – despite a majority of the Renew group voting in favour.

Before the policy was adopted, Wissing’s party, which is part of Germany’s ruling coalition, forced adjustments to the final policy by threatening to withhold the German government’s approval at the last minute.

The transport minister’s intervention increases the pressure on von der Leyen from all sides, particularly as she currently needs every vote she can get.

The FDP had previously remained undecided about supporting von der Leyen in the parliamentary vote, a party source recently told Euractiv.

[Edited by Jonathan Packroff/Daniel Eck]

(Nick Alipour | Euractiv.de)