Commission bows to lobby and scraps end of fossil fuel car sales

"Clinging to yesterday's technology is economic suicide. While China smartly invests in electric cars and conquers our market, the Commission wants to go back to fossil fuels. For the climate, workers, and the future of our automotive industry, this is a historic mistake."

Strasbourg, 16 December 2025 - Today, the European Commission presented its long-awaited package of measures for the future of the automotive industry. The most striking intervention is the abandonment of the objective to only allow zero-emission cars on our market for sale from 2035 onwards. "Under pressure from the car lobby and the right, the European Commission is making a fatal mistake," Sara Matthieu responds sharply. "Clinging to yesterday's technology is economic suicide. While China smartly invests in electric cars and conquers our market, the Commission wants to go back to fossil fuels. For the climate, workers, and the future of our automotive industry, this is a historic mistake."

False solutions

Contrary to its promise to simplify legislation, the Commission today proposes to make CO2 standards for vehicles needlessly complex and weaker. It wants to dilute the 2035 target - zero emissions from newly sold cars - with 10% flexibility, without a clear end date. This margin would be filled through plug-in hybrids and must be compensated with green steel or so-called 'low-carbon' fuels.

Matthieu: "It's good that the European Commission wants to stimulate demand for green steel in the automotive industry. But it doesn't need to weaken CO2 standards to do so - that can be done through other legislation. Hybrids are a transitional technology that is already reaching its limits and in reality is much more polluting than car manufacturers claim. Low-carbon fuels are scarce and expensive. The limited volume of sustainable fuels should be deployed in shipping and aviation, where green alternatives don't yet exist. This proposal creates chaos instead of the investment certainty that companies need."

Greening of company cars: the only bright spot

The only bright spot today is the proposal for greening company cars, which exists thanks to pressure from the European Green group. Belgium already implements ambitious policy whereby the majority of company cars must be emission-free by 2026. Europe is now following that example and proposing member state targets for 2030.

"The targets are weaker than the Belgian policy that came about on Groen's initiative. Nevertheless, this is a step forward," says Matthieu. "Company cars drive enormous distances - it's good that this happens emission-free as quickly as possible. This will give a major boost to electric cars made in Europe. Moreover, these cars will then enter the second-hand market, making more affordable electric cars available."