Automakers, including Mercedes-Benz and BMW, have urged the EU to weaken the policy, amid slower-than-expected electric car sales. Sweden’s Volvo Cars and others say they have already heavily invested in the transition to electric, and any reversal on the ban would be a betrayal.
That is great news. Macron please follow the Spanish lead, with some of the smaller members it would be enough to block it in the Council.
Is there any chance France will follow? Sweden and Denmark are also opposed!
France has said earlier that it wants to keep the phase out, but so far nothing about the new push. However more votes would be needed. Somewhat likely would be the Netherlands and Belgium imho. Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Portugal are known to be against the ban.
France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden have ~ 35% of the EU populace… So maybe one more small country would be needed for a blocking minority. (If I am not mistaken)
It would be great if the EU would not reverse the ban, but I am afraid that Spain’s PM Sanchez isn’t doing that for some economic or environmental reason. He’s just fighting for his political survival, and topics like EVs and tge Gaza war helps him to distract from the corruption scandals of his government, close party allies, and family members. And ‘Sweden’s’ Volvo Cars is majorily owned by Geeky from China, a country that Sanchez considers a Spanish ally and investor (so human rights are not Sanchez’s thing it seems).
Saudi Arabia isn’t great on human rights either…
While the rest of EU is still following the US that is actively trying to break the EU…
There are links between far right anti EU parties and China. Most prominent is probably Orban, who gets a lot of Chinese help for pro China votes, but there is also a case of the German AfD taking Chinese money and Belgian far right politicans as well.
China hates the EU too. The US being shit, does not make China good.
Yes, and Sanchez and his party have close ties to China. Sanchez’s government even contracted China’s Huawei with the country’s judicial wiretap system (while at the same time banned Huawei from its public telcom network over security reasons). So the Spanish law enforcement, including those fighting corruption, now depends on China.
And let us not forget the Gate Center, a Spanish-Chinese so-called ‘think tank’ with close ties to the government.
[Edit typo.]
This makes no sense as it has nothing to do with the topic or my comment. Sanchez is fighting for his own political survival and nothing else. He would do and say the exact opposite if he thinks it would help him.
That law passed after Russian invasion of Ukraine. My understanding was that this invasion created push away from dependence on Russian oil.
It was also a push for less pollution/environmental benefits.
But the fucking automakers in Europe were sleeping on their asses, and didn’t believe thar electric cars could work or that people would buy them.
Then came Tesla and removedslapped the whole lot of them, proving that it does work, and by the time they started realising they needed to actually do something, you had the Chinese pumping out awesome cars at literally half the price that the EU can make them, and now they’re scared shitless.
I get that letting the EU car industry die is the beginning of the end for Europe, but the answer isn’t prolonging gas cars, it’s subsidising the industry in a smart way, so they can compete.
