“Bans won’t help”

A ban on combustion engines in the EU is likely to do more damage than good toward the goal of reducing emissions while maintaining industrial competitiveness, writes Matthias Wissmann, chairman of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), in a guest commentary for the Handelsblatt. “Smart policy is not characterised by imposing irrefutable technological standards,” Wissmann writes with regard to considerations in the Bundesrat to ensure that only emission-free new cars will be registered in the EU by 2030. “It’s about finding the right balance between climate protection and the sustainability of Europe’s industrial base,” according to Wissmann. Electric and increasingly efficient combustion engines should not be seen as opposed, but rather as complementary, to achieving ambitious climate goals.

For further information, read the CLEW article German states - New cars in EU should be emission-free by 2030.