Belgium postpones EU vote on truck emissions as Germany imperils majority

Belgium has postponed a vote by EU ambassadors on new emission standards for trucks – initially planned for Wednesday (7 February) – to Friday, after Germany withdrew its previous support for the law, leaving the majority unclear.

The EU’s new CO2 standards for trucks would see average tailpipe emissions of new trucks being reduced by 90% by 2040, meaning that manufacturers would need to predominantly sell electric and hydrogen trucks by that date.

On Tuesday, Euractiv was the first to report that the German government was surprisingly unable to agree to support the deal found between EU countries and the European Parliament in January, as the liberal Transport Ministry withdrew its support.

Without Germany, the majority for the law is in doubt, as some smaller countries such as Hungary or Slovakia already signalled opposition to the law, and Italian support is unclear as its main request for a mechanism to account for alternative fuels was not included.

EXCLUSIVE: Germany poised to repeat blockade on combustion engine ban for trucks

Germany will abstain from another EU transport law, despite initially signalling agreement, an industry source told Euractiv, as the liberal FDP party is blocking the agreement to the proposed new CO2 standards for trucks which would see the number of diesel trucks drastically reduced.

“This will not be voted on today in Coreper,” German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit told journalists on Wednesday, in reference to the conference of EU ambassadors of the 27 member states.

“The vote has been postponed until Friday,” he said, adding that, “I can let you know on Friday what the German position will be.”

The decision by the Belgian Presidency to postpone the vote was based on the “probability outlook” that there was a qualified majority for the law, an EU diplomat told Euractiv.

Under German coalition rules, the country has to abstain from a vote at the EU level if no joint position of coalition partners can be found. Normally, this translates into a de-facto ‘no’ as laws at the EU level require a majority of 15 countries, representing 65% of the population, to vote in favour.

Asked about the position of the transport ministry, a ministry spokesperson said he could “not anticipate the vote in Coreper.”

The liberal FDP, which leads the transport ministry, is a vocal supporter of ‘technology openness’, stating that there should not be a ban on vehicles with internal combustion engines because they could be used in a climate-neutral way through alternative fuels.

Already last year, the proposed CO2 standards for cars, which included a de-facto ban on new cars with internal combustion engines by 2035, had been halted due to a last-minute intervention of liberal transport minister Volker Wissing (FDP/Renew).

The blockade could only be solved after the European Commission struck a deal with Wissing, committing to create a new category of vehicles that run with an internal combustion engine but exclusively on climate-neutral fuels, known as e-fuels.

This time, the FDP supports the consideration of multiple alternative fuels, including biofuels, as a means to decarbonise heavy-duty transport.

“As you know, we in the FDP are in favour of technological openness, and we want to make it possible for alternative fuels – all those that are seen as alternative fuels under the Renewable Energy Directive – to be used for heavy-duty transport,” Jan-Christoph Oetjen, member of the FDP in the European Parliament, told Euractiv on Tuesday, adding that this was the position of his party in the Parliament.

Deal reached to boost number of zero-emission trucks and buses on EU roads

EU countries and the European Parliament reached an agreement on Thursday (18 January) on new rules tightening CO2 limits on heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), paving the way for a significant increase in the number of clean trucks and buses across the bloc.

Wissing’s blockade received backing by his party

After it became public, Wissing’s decision not to vote in favour of the law was publicly supported by his party.

“The FDP parliamentary group is not in favour of approving the trilogue result,” German MP and the FDP’s speaker for environmental affairs in the Bundestag, told Euractiv.

“Although many improvements have been made compared to the Commission’s original plans, the final result of the trialogue is not satisfactory for us,” she added.

Environmental organisations, meanwhile, are up in arms. 

“The FDP is once again blocking climate protection and this time is jeopardising the decarbonisation of freight transport,” Pauline Schur, head of transport at environmental NGO Nabu, told Euractiv.

“Transport Minister Volker Wissing is pushing through vested interests of the fuel industry instead of standing up for German manufacturers, who have already committed to e-mobility and fear for their technological leadership,” she added.

The environmental ministry, led by the Green Minister Steffi Lemke, which had officially conducted negotiations for Germany at the EU level, had been in favour of the law. 

“On the concerns, you have to ask the BMDV [Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport],” a spokesperson of the Environment Ministry told journalists. The transport ministry declined to comment.

Italy leads charge to allow more diesel trucks under new CO2 targets

Ahead of a meeting of EU environment ministers on Monday (16 October), an Italian-led coalition of nations has formed to push for synthetic fuels and biofuels to be counted towards heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) carbon standards – a move welcomed by …

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EXCLUSIVE: Germany poised to repeat blockade on combustion engine ban for trucks

Germany will abstain from another EU transport law, despite initially signalling agreement, an industry source told Euractiv, as the liberal FDP party is blocking the agreement to the proposed new CO2 standards for trucks which would see the number of diesel trucks drastically reduced.