This is a first outcry. This week, the French government launched its offensive against European standards for CO2 emissions for new cars. The executive hopes that car manufacturers who are not on track in 2025 will not face fines, as provided for in the regulations.
But the initiative was received coldly in Brussels. During a press briefing this Monday, the European Commission considered that a debate on a possible suspension of sanctions was “really premature”. “We will see at the end of 2025 how many cars have been sold, what the emissions are”said a spokesperson.
Automobile: manufacturers' offensive against CO2 standards
The French approach at the same time arouses the anger of several NGOs. Transport and Environment issued a vitriolic press release this same Monday. “France lets itself be fooled by manufacturers and opens Pandora’s box”chokes up Diane Strauss, the director of the French branch of the NGO. According to him, a suspension of sanctions would constitute “a dangerous precedent likely to weaken the Green Deal”. And its flagship measure, which is the ban on sales of cars with thermal engines on the Old Continent by 2035.
“Explore all the flexibilities”
The NGO fears that manufacturers will take advantage of this to slow down their sales of electric cars in order to“reap short-term margins”. But with the risk of dealing a serious blow to the transition to this technology, as “to be overtaken by international competition”. At the forefront of which are Chinese manufacturers, such as BYD, which benefit from a serious lead in the electric sector.
The French government is showing its determination. At the Paris Motor Show on October 15, Antoine Armand, the Minister of Economy and Finance, said that there was no question that Renault or Stellantis would be fined if they did not meet their objectives. reduction in CO2 emissions next year.
“It is not possible that sanctions will be imposed while immense efforts have been made (by the automobile sector, Editor’s note), affirmed the minister. We are currently exploring all the flexibilities that are necessary to avoid penalizing our manufacturers, particularly in their investments at the most crucial moment of their industrial transition. »
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The minister did it again this Sunday. “I consider that manufacturers firmly committed to the electrification of vehicles should not have to pay fines”he declared in an interview with the newspaper Les Echos.
Luca de Meo’s paid lobbying
This strong support from the executive for the automobile industry constitutes a victory for Luca de Meo. The boss of Renault has been mobilizing for months to remove the specter of these sanctions. Last September, the European Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), which he chairs, called for “urgent and significant action” from Brussels on this subject. Otherwise, European manufacturers collectively risk sanctions which could, according to Luca de Meo, exceed 15 billion euros.
Read also: Automobile: manufacturers' offensive against CO2 standards
The industry argues that despite an increasingly extensive range of electric cars, sales are not there. In October, these represented around 15% of registrations in France. However, they would have to be between 21% and 23% to meet the Brussels objectives. The Automotive Platform (PFA), the sector's lobby in France, affirms that the step is now too high.
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