In the dispute over the planned end of combustion engines in the EU, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) insists on a quick agreement. "I believe that with every day that this stalemate lasts longer, trust in the European processes, in the statements of the federal government, could actually be damaged," said Lemke on Sunday evening on ARD. "Therefore, this deadlock must and should be ended as soon as possible."
Already last week at the meeting of the EU environment ministers she had to look into many irritated faces because of the German attitude. "If decisions are made in the next week, then the damage can at least be repaired," said Lemke on the "Report from Berlin" program.
The EU had to postpone its final decision to phase out combustion engines at the beginning of March because Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), supported by FDP leader Christian Lindner, had vetoed at short notice. The FDP wants to make it legally binding that cars with petrol or diesel engines can still be registered after 2035 if they fill up with synthetic fuels, so-called e-fuels.
Lemke now set a condition if there should actually be a separate vehicle category for e-fuel vehicles in the EU from 2035. "If there were such a category - demonstrably only with e-fuels - then of course the detection technology for it must be there," said the Environment Minister. That must be resolved by then