Technology & Science
EU Drops Full 2035 ICE Ban, Sets 90 % CO₂ Fleet Cut Instead
Brussels has quietly replaced its previously approved 2035 100 % zero-emission mandate for new cars with a 90 % fleet-average CO₂-reduction target after late-night negotiations led by EPP chief Manfred Weber.
Focusing Facts
- On 12 Dec 2025 Weber told Bild that the Commission will table the revised 90 % target on 16 Dec 2025, scrapping the outright ban passed in 2023.
- The compromise explicitly removes any plan for a 100 % zero-emission requirement in 2040, keeping combustion-engine production legally viable beyond that date.
- A coalition of seven member states—Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia and Bulgaria—had publicly demanded the rollback earlier in the week.
Context
This retreat echoes the 1981 U.S. fuel-economy ‘CAFE freeze’, when Reagan dialed back Carter-era efficiency rules under industry pressure; both moments show how economic downturns can trump environmental ambition. The EU’s reversal highlights two structural forces: (1) Europe’s deindustrialisation anxiety as Chinese EVs undercut prices and (2) a broader political swing toward “technological neutrality,” diluting prescriptive green laws in favour of market-led paths. Over a century, the episode matters less for the physics of decarbonisation—battery costs keep falling—but it signals that policy certainty, not technology, is the fragile element; climate targets can be unmade as quickly as they are made, shaping investor confidence and the continent’s ability to lead the next industrial wave.
Perspectives
Right-leaning UK tabloids
Daily Mail, Express — Call the EU move a humiliating U-turn that protects jobs and lets buyers keep petrol cars. Stress economic freedom and sovereignty while glossing over climate consequences, echoing the papers’ long-standing Eurosceptic, pro-industry stance.
European policy and green-minded outlets
EurActiv, Legit.ng quoting EEB — Portray the rollback as political backsliding under industry pressure that weakens Europe in the EV race against China. Lean on environmental NGOs’ warnings and frame the decision as capitulation, giving scant attention to cost or infrastructure hurdles cited by governments.
Automotive trade press
Autocar, Motor1.com — Describe the scrapping of the 2035 ban as welcome regulatory flexibility that gives carmakers ‘breathing room’ while still mandating a 90 % CO₂ cut. Outlets reliant on industry access spotlight benefits for manufacturers and downplay how a diluted target may slow emissions cuts.