Monitoring Desk
STRASBOURG: The European Parliament has voted to approve a law to ban new sales of carbon-emitting diesel and petrol vehicles by 2035, clearing the last legislative hurdle, media reported on Tuesday.
EU member nations have already adopted the legislation, and now they will formally enact it, despite resistance from conservative MEPs.
European Parliament
Supporters of the bill believed that the law would give EU carmakers a timeframe to switch production to zero-emission electric cars.
They added that it will support the EU’s ambitious roadmap to become a “climate neutral” economy by 2050.
EU vice president Frans Timmermans said that between last year and the end of the current year, China is going to bring 80 models of electric vehicles to the global market.
Frans Timmermans termed China’s cars good and said they needed to compete with them.
However, opponents said that the industry is not ready for such production, saying that thousands of jobs are at risk due to the new changes.
Read Also: EU Rejects Israel’s Decision to Legalize Nine West Bank Outposts
MEP Jens Gieseke said that their proposal is to let the market decide to reach its goals. Gieseke rejected the arguments from Green and socialist MEPs and noted that over 600,000 jobs are at risk in Germany, saying the European Commission should rethink plans to extend the ban on buses and trucks.
Opponents argue Europe’s competitors like the US produce vehicle batteries, but Timmermans said that European production would further increase due to European investment. The law approved the Strasbourg Assembly by 340 votes to 279, with 21 abstentions.
