BRUSSELS — Diplomats from European Union international locations are hoping to keep away from a debate amongst their leaders over the bloc’s deliberate combustion-engine phaseout at a two-day summit that begins on Thursday in Brussels.
The official summit agenda covers a broad vary of points from migration to sending ammunition to Ukraine however considerations of specific curiosity to the bloc’s two largest powers, France and Germany, are looming over the talks.
Final-minute opposition from Germany has stalled the EU’s flagship legislation to finish gross sales of recent CO2-emitting automobiles in 2035, placing on maintain a part of the bloc’s technique to succeed in internet zero emissions by 2050.
The unusually late objection to laws on which EU international locations and lawmakers had agreed final yr has raised considerations amongst some EU officers that political offers on different main legal guidelines might unravel.
France, in the meantime, is main a push forward of ultimate negotiations subsequent week to have fuels primarily based on nuclear power counted in direction of the EU’s renewable power targets.
Nations corresponding to Denmark, Germany and Spain are opposed, saying integrating nuclear power into the legislation would undermine efforts to broaden renewable sources like wind and photo voltaic.
Neither of the 2 contentious points is on the official summit agenda and a few EU diplomats mentioned they hope to keep away from a proper debate on them.
“I’m assured that in the middle of the following seven days, 10 days, we’ll come to a end result,” one senior EU diplomat mentioned, including that they thought it unlikely any choice can be made on the summit.
EU leaders make selections unanimously, that means one nation can block a deal. Escalating the automobile CO2 debate to leaders would subsequently be pointless, one EU diplomat mentioned on situation of anonymity.
Germany’s Transport Ministry and the European Fee, which drafts EU legal guidelines, are in talks. The ministry has demanded that new combustion engine automobiles could be offered after 2035 in the event that they run on e-fuels — a request supported by elements of Germany’s highly effective automobile trade that features manufacturers corresponding to Porsche that help using e-fuels.
A German authorities official mentioned on Wednesday the talks have been “very constructive,” however that the difficulty wouldn’t be addressed on the EU summit.