EU combustion engine ban faces uncertainty in 2024 elections

The upcoming elections to the European Parliament next year might be a turning point for the future of combustion engine vehicles in the EU. The chairman of the European People's Party has clearly stated that, if victorious, he intends to revoke the ban on the registration of combustion engines.

As per the regulations that are currently in place, from 2035 it will no longer be feasible to register new combustion engine cars in the European Union. Naturally, this is directly associated with the actual ban on the sale of such vehicles. Until now, it seemed that overturning this plan would be impossible. However, there might be a considerable turnaround in this issue.

All this stems from the statement of Manfred Weber, the chairman of the European People's Party. Currently, it's the most influential party in the European Parliament, with EPP MEPs holding 182 out of 751 seats. The majority of the party members hail from countries like Germany (29), Poland (17), and Romania (14).

Weber objects to the ban on registering combustion engine vehicles, which is expected to be enforced in little over 11 years. As a representative of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), part of the ruling coalition in Germany, he has assured that if EPP secures the majority in the upcoming European Parliament elections scheduled for June 9, 2024, he will strive to cancel the ban.

"If my group attains majority in the European elections, we will revoke the ban on internal combustion engines adopted by the European Parliament during this legislative period", stated Manfred Weber in an interview with Mediengruppe Bayern.

The year 2026 could bring about significant changes, as this is the anticipated year for reviewing the contentious regulation. It's then that reversing the ban may become a viable option.

Even now, there's a noticeable shift in rhetoric. Although not in effect yet, cars running on gas and powered by synthetic fuels should already be exempt from the ban. This exemplifies the dynamic nature of the situation tied to the regulation. For now, all we can do is wait and observe further developments.