The Twenty-seven have approved this Monday the agreement that will prohibit the sale of combustion engines, including diesel, gasoline and hybrids, from 2035 after Germany agreed to lift its veto after forcing an agreement with the European Commission to clarify the encaje that synthetic fuels will have as of that date.

The agreement materialized in a meeting in Brussels at ambassadorial level and is expected to be endorsed this Tuesday by the energy ministers, at their ordinary council meeting in March, weeks after Germany’s reserves were added to those of Italy ( that demanded an exception to biofuels) and forced the postponement of the vote without a new date, until this Saturday the vice president for the European Green Pact, Frans Timmermans, announced an agreement with Berlin to lift its veto.

The last-minute doubts of both delegations generated concern in the institutions since they could jeopardize the adoption of a regulation that is part of the climate package that the EU wants to promote this legislature to reduce polluting emissions by at least 55% of the block in the horizon of 2030 with respect to those of 1990.

The measure was already approved in the plenary session of the European Parliament on February 14, but it was in the negotiations at the member state level where Germany showed its reluctance about an agreement between institutions that was already agreed last autumn. From the European Commission they defend that this fit of synthetic fuels will not affect the agreement already closed between the European Parliament and the Twenty-seven regarding the prohibition of commercializing combustion vehicles in the EU from 2035, while diplomatic sources emphasize that The important thing now is to prevent this type of maneuver from “weakening” the functioning of the European institutions, since this is the “real concern”.

Repsol criticizes that the Spanish government has not sided with Germany

Repsol’s CEO, Josu Jon Imaz, has applauded the agreement reached in Brussels to lift the veto on the ban on combustion engines from 2035, although he regretted that the Spanish government has not been defending that position. “I am glad that the German Government and the Italian Government have been promoting this commitment. I would also have liked to see the Spanish Government supporting non-prohibitionism, especially for the Spanish automotive sector. We are the second European car manufacturer and this would have been a serious problem for the country, ”said the manager during his participation in the conference Wake Up Spain! organized by The Spanish.

Thus, Imaz considered that this decision, which is obviously also “important support” for Repsol’s industrial commitment, can only be interpreted as “Europe has been aware of the serious mistake of prohibiting the sale of the combustion engine in 2035.” . In this sense, he defended that the path lies in defending technological neutrality and “making efforts” so that the fuels that are incorporated in the future “have as few emissions as possible, that is, zero emissions.”

In addition, the CEO of Repsol estimated that “the measures of the prohibitionists” are generating “uncertainty” in consumers. “People don’t know which car to buy. We are making mobility only for the rich”, said the manager, who assured that the Spanish park is getting “older”, which has as a result that emissions are not lowered.

He also pointed out that these messages have also managed to end the incentive for car manufacturers to invest in engine efficiency. “They are not going to invest anymore in the efficiency of the engine, with which the emissions of the cars are not going to go down. Which is very bad for the Spanish industrial sector, it is very bad for consumers and it is very bad for the environment”, he stated.

On the other hand, Imaz insisted that European energy policy “has failed”, after having focused solely on sustainability, leaving aside security of supply and having an affordable price. “We are cheating in solitaire. In the world we continue to increase CO2 emissions. What happens in Europe? What in Europe we say, no, is that here we are going down, yes, because we are hiding them under the carpet ”, he asserted. In the specific case of Spain, he recalled that there is a law in force that prevents the exploration and production of natural gas. “Doesn’t this seem like a magnificent exercise in hypocrisy? When we are bringing natural gas from the United States”, he stressed, adding that what should be done is “try to use all the sources within our reach”.

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