Czechia, together with Germany, will not back the EU ban on the sale of new petrol or diesel cars from 2035 if synthetic fuels cannot be used, said Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka after a meeting with his German counterpart Volker Wissing in Berlin.
EU member states’ ambassadors decided to postpone the final approval of the proposal that would make it impossible to buy a new petrol or diesel car from 2035, the Swedish EU Council presidency announced Friday.
“This is a development that we unequivocally welcome and stand behind,” said Kupka.
He added that until a binding exception for synthetic fuels is on the table, Czechia will not support the final approval.
On the EU’s forthcoming Euro 7 emission, which is widely criticised by the German government, the automotive industry and car clubs, Czechia and Germany “have agreed to unequivocally oppose and criticise the current draft of the Euro 7 standard,” Kupka said, stating that the two view the proposal to be unrealistic and unacceptable.
In addition, Kupka and Wissing also agreed that by the end of this summer, they would prepare a memorandum on accelerating the modernisation of the railway line between Plzen, western Bohemia, and Munich.
Kupka told Czech journalists that in his conversation with Wissing, he had mentioned the possible construction of a car battery factory, which Volkswagen could build near Plzen, as one of the arguments for the importance of the line.
(Ondřej Plevák | EURACTIV.cz)
Source: euractiv.com
