The European Union bans the sale of new cars powered by fossil fuels

European Union countries gave final approval on Tuesday to ban sales of new fossil-fuel cars from 2035, after Germany dropped its reservations. The vote was a formality, after the ambassadors of the European Union countries, Monday, endorsed the historic agreement. The majority of the European bloc’s ministers agreed to the ban yesterday during a meeting in Brussels, with Poland being the only opposition. Bulgaria, Italy and Romania abstained from voting. The historic agreement to ban sales of new cars powered by fossil fuels from 2035 is of great importance in terms of the bloc’s pioneering plan to transition to a “climate neutral” economy by 2050, with zero emissions of greenhouse gases. But in an unprecedented move this month, Germany, the leading automaker, blocked the agreement at the last minute after it was approved in accordance with the traditional legislative mechanism of the European Union. Berlin called on Brussels to provide guarantees that the law would allow the sale of new cars that rely on fuel combustion engines, provided they consume synthetic fuel, according to the agreement announced on Saturday. The synthetic fuels that Germany wanted exempt from the ban are still being developed and produced using low-carbon electricity. The technology is unproven, but German manufacturers hope it will lead to broader use of combustion engines. Observers believe that domestic political calculations are behind Germany’s initial move to block the deal, to the chagrin of some of Berlin’s European partners.