In the face of gamesmanship, "environmental protection" can shift at any time.
On October 16th local time, foreign media reported that the European Commission's Climate Action Commissioner, Frans Timmermans, will attend a European Parliament hearing next month.
According to the speech稿 obtained in advance by the media, Timmermans will once again emphasize the previously passed ban on the sale of fuel vehicles by 2035, "The EU cannot and should not withdraw."
Interestingly, since last March, there have been rumors that the EU, under pressure, began to "regret" and planned to revoke the ban.
At that time, the EU's idea was that after 2035, car companies could continue to sell fuel vehicles in the European market - as long as the fuel used is "carbon-neutral synthetic fuel."
The original EU ban on fuel vehicles was quite radical, causing European car bosses to be unhappy, and coupled with Chinese electric vehicles collectively entering Europe to seize the market, it is also quite reasonable to lift the "fuel vehicle ban."
However, just as the European old car companies successively announced to slow down the electrification plan, the EU once again stood out to support the ban, and this move of flip-flopping is indeed confusing.
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We have always been discussing the "2035 ban on the sale of fuel vehicles," and this ban is just one part of the EU's "Fit for 55" (carbon reduction 55) package of legislative plans.
That is to say, on the issue of car emissions reduction, a series of actions by the EU are following the most important goal of "building a carbon-neutral continent by 2050."Let's first briefly understand the content of "Fit for 55".
On July 12, 2022, the European Commission proposed a series of 12 measures, including energy, industry, transportation, and construction, committing to a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by the end of 2030 compared to 1990. This is also the latest and most critical low-carbon development policy of the European Union at present.
In terms of practicing low carbon, the EU has always been at the forefront of the world in terms of goal setting and top-level framework design since its establishment in the 1990s. Regardless of how the actions are, at least Europeans are really concerned about "environmental protection".
So why is environmentalism very popular in Europe, even as crazy as religion?
Firstly, Europe is the earliest region in the world to complete industrialization and is also the earliest to be severely polluted. With the acceleration of the industrialization process of fossil energy, almost all cities in Europe have encountered pollution problems, including the famous "fog capital" London and the Ruhr area in Germany.
And this kind of pollution is not limited to the Industrial Revolution period. Even after World War II, the pollution in European countries was still very serious, so the European people's demand for environmental protection can be considered a "carved in the bone" truth.
Therefore, over the years, public opinion has influenced politics in environmental protection, and politics have repeatedly used environmental protection to gain votes. The most famous are the Green Parties of various countries.
Even if member states and car manufacturers continue to put pressure on the EU, policies still need to follow the general direction.
As long as the position of the European Parliament remains unchanged, the EU will not withdraw the ban.
Can only electric cars defeat electric cars?In the eyes of opponents, once the European internal combustion engine industry reaches its end, it will not only affect various car manufacturers but also lead to the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of jobs. For instance, in Germany, there are currently 600,000 people engaged in the production of internal combustion engine vehicles, and in some smaller European countries, the production of fuel vehicle parts has become a significant source of local economy. However, the European Union seems to have a different perspective.
On February 14, 2023, European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans emphasized the importance of the electrification transition at the European Parliament, warning attendees, "Let me remind you that from last year to the end of this year, China will launch 80 electric vehicles into the international market. These high-quality and affordable products will become increasingly cheaper, and we must not surrender this industry to outsiders."
This reason appears to be sound, but in reality, European consumers have always preferred fuel vehicles or hybrid vehicles over domestically produced pure electric cars. In the early stages, the reason for Chinese car companies to go abroad was more about relying on local policies to "make quick money," and these low-priced models had a relatively limited impact on established European car manufacturers.
However, these European car manufacturers, misled by the EU, have all developed pure electric models in unison, with the end result being that they cannot compete with Chinese and American car manufacturers and are not accepted by European consumers. At the recent Paris Auto Show, several French car manufacturers such as Renault, Peugeot, and Citroën brought their latest electric compact cars. Compared to the Chinese pure electric cars competing in the same event, apart from maintaining their consistent brand design, they can be said to have no highlights in terms of hardware and software.
In conclusion, given that there has been no significant change in the European political arena, the EU's progress in promoting the "Fit for 55" initiative will not be abandoned due to collective opposition from car manufacturers.In the face of political maneuvering, the "environmental protection card" can be turned at any time.
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