German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is urging the European Union to reconsider the 2035 deadline for the sale of combustion-engine vehicles.
Merz stated that he would send a letter to the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, asking Brussels to maintain flexibility and preserve technological alternatives for automobile manufacturers.
Under the current EU policy, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned within the decade.
Merz said he would seek several exemptions, including the ability to keep producing plug‑in hybrids, battery hybrids, and range‑extended electric vehicles that use ‘highly efficient’ combustion engines.
The ban on combustion engines is a major policy of the EU’s Green Deal climate law, which aims to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.
The ban has also emerged as one of the EU’s most contentious laws, as European industries struggle to compete with cheaper foreign rivals and navigate the complexities of the bloc’s environmental regulations.
“I will ask the commission, even after 2035, to continue to allow battery-electric vehicles that also have a combustion engine,” Merz stated.
“It is much more opportune and pragmatic to invest more effort and money in the development of efficient, hybrid systems that will combine the best of the world of internal combustion engines on the one hand and electric mobility on the other,” he added.
The EU’s proposed ban has drawn criticism from certain automakers who argue that it is impractical due to the slow adoption of electric vehicles in Europe.
In September, the EU declared it would accelerate a review of the policies to provide automakers with greater clarity.
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