Between the Green Deal’s targets to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and plans to prioritize boosting industry competitiveness, the Europe Union is fumbling in the dark to find its way forward. The 27 member states are in a balancing act between trying to lead the way in the fight against global warming and at the same time catch up with the United States and China in the sectors of the future. In any case, this is the official line, which conceals real disparities between those who wish to ease up on environmental regulations and those who, on the contrary, wish to preserve those objectives.
From this point of view, the fate of the European Union’s automotive industry, currently in the throes of a crisis, will be symbolic. In April 2023, after stormy debates between member states and the European Parliament, the regulation banning the sale of new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 was adopted. Since then, its detractors – in Italy, Germany and the Christian democratic ranks of the European People’s Party (EPP) in the European Parliament – have criticized it relentlessly, as demonstrated by the plan the EPP is due to present on Wednesday, December 11, to ease manufacturers’ obligations.
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