The European automotive industry as well as countries such as Germany and Italy had mounted a sustained lobbying effort over the past few months to force the Commission to dilute the 2035 combustion engine ban. The EU had pledged to be a world leader in the adoption of climate change targets, but the latest announcement shows that its fragile economy is a more important short-term priority. Transport accounts for 30 per cent of EU CO2 emissions. For both Ireland and the EU, the road to meaningful change in CO2 reductions is through decarbonising the transport sector. The European Commission is just delaying the inevitable.
