Sawt Falasteen - EU conservatives seek to stall 2035 combustion engine ban

The EU's 27 states reached a historic agreement on phasing out new petrol and diesel cars as part of ambitious efforts to combat climate change, with sales to be limited to battery electric vehicles.

But weakening the ban has since become a rallying cry for Europe's hard-right parties -- now officially joined by the heavyweight European People's Party in a position paper adopted on Wednesday.

"The upcoming 2035 ban on internal combustion engines should be reversed," the EPP paper states, "to allow a mix of technologies while staying on track to achieve the Union's decarbonisation targets."

The group urges the European Commission to revise the ban to "recognise the role of alternative fuels, including e-fuels, biofuels, renewable or synthetic fuels."

And it asks the commission to "acknowledge the role of other technologies, such as plug-in hybrids (PHEV)" -- a transitional option which can reduce tailpipe emissions but not eliminate them like battery electric cars.

The call comes even though the EU's automotive industry is already well down the road towards transitioning to electric vehicles, a key aspect of the bloc's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

But Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU) -- the biggest force within the pan-European EPP -- have their eyes on national elections planned in February in which the woes of the auto industry are set to loom large.

German EPP lawmaker Jens Gieseke said his group wanted a "realistic approach" to the green transition, as he briefed reporters on its strategy "to rescue the European car industry" and its 14 million jobs.

Layoffs have already been announced at a raft of auto giants and suppliers in Germany and elsewhere in the EU, from Volkswagen and Ford to Bosch, Valeo and Michelin.

Europe's car industry has been plunged into crisis by high manufacturing costs, a stuttering switch to electric vehicles (EV) and increased competition in key market China.

EV sales have been slower than expected at a time when carmakers are contending with tougher EU rules on carbon emissions.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen -- who belongs to the EPP -- has promised to personally lead a new initiative to help Europe's troubled car industry navigate the transition.

In the short term, the EPP also asked the commission to "avoid penalties" on auto manufacturers who fail to meet 2025 emissions standards -- a key demand of the sector.

"Finding a solution for 2025 is very urgent," Luca de Meo, the head of industry lobby the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, warned on Tuesday.

R.Halabi--SF-PST