In a new proposal, the EU Commission proposes to slow down the speed of the green transition of road transport and postpone the phasing out of new fossil cars in 2035. The environmental organization Green Transition Denmark is deeply disappointed and concerned about the EU's ability to achieve its climate goals and about the automotive industry's ability to cope in global competition.

In a new 'car package', the EU Commission proposes to significantly weaken the EU's climate regulation of new vehicles. While the reduction requirement in 2035 is reduced from 100% to 90% and the target in 2030 for vans is reduced from 50% to 40%, and the target for trucks up to 2030 is also reduced. At the same time, several measures are being introduced that further erode the regulation. For passenger cars, this could mean that 25% of all new cars sold will not be electric cars.

Jeppe Juul, head of transport policy at the Green Transition Denmark, is very disappointed.

"The dilution of the EU's CO2 requirements for new cars harms both the climate, the EU's security and competitiveness. And already today, ordinary Danes' purchases of electric cars are above the level the EU Commission is now proposing for 2035. So it is very disappointing that the EU Commission has chosen to bow to pressure from an industry that apparently prefers to make money by selling outdated technology."

At the same time, he emphasizes that it is a very short-term strategy for the automotive industry.

"The European automotive industry is under great pressure in many markets. Not because of regulation in the European market, but because they cannot compete with, for example, electric cars in the Chinese market. Batteries and electric cars are getting cheaper and cheaper. So focusing on selling fossil cars for a longer period in the EU is therefore difficult to see as a winning strategy, but on the contrary will make it easier for, among others, Chinese manufacturers to take over an even larger part of the European market," says Jeppe Juul.

He also believes that the EU's self-determination is largely about how quickly we can phase out the use of fossil vehicles, as the transport sector accounts for the majority of oil consumption, which is almost exclusively imported, from, for example, the USA and the Middle East.

At the same time, the European Commission is proposing increased state aid for the automotive industry to boost battery production in the EU and is also proposing requirements to buy green and European in connection with larger commercial fleets.