ROME, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Italy intends to vote against European plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars within 12 years, Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on Tuesday.
Rules approved by the European Parliament this month will require carmakers to achieve a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars sold by 2035, which would prevent new fossil fuel-powered vehicles from being sold in the bloc from 27 countries.
“Tomorrow in Brussels, at the meeting of ambassadors of the EU countries, Italy will express a position against the proposed European regulation that prohibits the production and sale of cars and vans with an internal combustion engine in the year 2035 “, the minister said in a statement.
EU countries agreed to the deal to ban combustion engine cars in October, but have yet to formally sign off on the rules before they can come into effect. Final approval is expected in March.
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The government said last week it wanted to join forces with France and Germany to influence and slow the pace of European Union laws on reducing emissions from cars and trucks.
“Italy believes that the choice of electricity should not be the only way to achieve zero emissions in the transition phase,” Pichetto Fratin added in the statement.
Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte, editing by Federico Maccioni and Ed Osmond
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