CO2 fleet limits for trucks: FDP gives up blockade

In the coalition dispute over stricter CO2 standards for trucks in the EU, an agreement has been reached. According to this, Germany will now approve a planned EU regulation, but there should be additions, the German Press Agency learned from coalition circles on Friday. The vote at the EU level was planned for Friday noon. Previously, the FDP had opposed it.

According to government circles, the federal government made a mediation proposal to the European Commission, which was accepted. As a result, the so-called trilogue should be reopened, and a binding regulation should be added - to allow trucks that can demonstrably only be fueled with e-fuels to be permitted indefinitely. The proposal would create legal certainty for both the manufacturers of commercial vehicles and the producers of climate-neutral fuels.

This resolved the reservations of the FDP, which had previously advocated for a "technology-open" solution. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) said on Friday morning on ZDF-Morgenmagazin that the previous plans for the so-called fleet limits for heavy commercial vehicles were missing a crucial component, namely synthetic fuels.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck (Greens) advocated for Germany's approval during a trip to Algeria, according to «Handelsblatt». «That is what the German economy and industry expect, and I am also advocating for it to happen.» The economy has massively invested in climate-friendly or climate-neutral trucks, primarily in electrically operated models.

Negotiators from the EU states had already agreed in January that new and stricter regulations for so-called fleet limits should be introduced. These limits regulate how much climate-damaging CO₂ vehicles will be allowed to emit in the future. CO₂ emissions from coaches and trucks are to be reduced by 90 percent by 2040 - compared to 2019.