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.
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Perspectives in this article
- Right-leaning UK tabloids
- European policy and green-minded outlets
- Automotive trade press