Italy's call to revisit EU combustion engine ban gains support
Italian Industry Minister Adolfo Urso has announced that the European Commission should review next year the regulations banning the sale of new combustion engine cars from 2035. Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin supported him, describing the ban as "absurd."
Italian Industry Minister Adolfo Urso, as reported by Reuters, stated that the European Commission should review next year the regulations banning the sale of new combustion engine cars from 2035.
According to EU regulations, new cars sold after 2035 must have zero carbon dioxide emissions, effectively ending the sale of fossil fuel-powered vehicles.
Italians criticise EU ban on combustion engines
During a speech at a business forum in Cernobbio, Urso emphasised that the review of the regulations, planned for 2026, should occur sooner, ideally at the beginning of next year. "I think this should be the first issue the new European Commission deals with, because companies and workers need clarity," said Urso.
"The 2035 ban on new combustion engine cars is absurd and needs to be revised," stated Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin at the same conference.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government believes that the European Commission should allow member states greater freedom in choosing technologies to achieve agreed decarbonisation goals, advocating for a more gradual phase-out of combustion engines.
