Germany pressures European Union to ease ban on petrol engines

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging the head of the bloc’s executive arm to soften the EU’s planned ban on combustion-engine vehicles.

“Our goal should be a technology-neutral, flexible, and realistic CO2 regulation that meets the EU’s climate protection targets without jeopardizing innovation and industrial value creation,” Merz wrote in the letter, which reached von der Leyen’s office on Friday and was seen by Bloomberg.

Merz’s letter demands far-reaching changes to von der Leyen’s original plan to ban combustion engine vehicles by 2035.

“We must consider the emissions of the entire passenger car fleet — that is, new registrations and existing vehicles,” Merz, the leader of Germany’s conservative CDU party, wrote. 

Volkswagen and other automotive companies have been struggling with trade disruptions with the US, stiffer competition in China and waning demand in Europe.

Their woes have prompted tens of thousands of job cuts across the industry. 

“There is also potential for reducing emissions in the existing fleet,” Merz wrote.

“The blending quotas for synthetic and advanced biofuels should be increased appropriately. Traditional biofuels should also continue to play their role.” 

The chancellor is coming under growing pressure to live up to his campaign promise to get Germany’s economy back on track.

Merz sees the German car industry as central for achieving this goal.