Salini (FI/EPP): ‘2035 conventional engine ban a serious mistake, revision justified’

From the Strasbourg correspondent – On cars, the first von der Leyen Commission got it wrong. Not on the need to redesign mobility in a clean and sustainable direction, but on the “impact assessment” of the measure aimed at banning traditional petrol and diesel engines in ten years’ time. Massimiliano Salini (FI/EPP), MEP member of the Committee on the Environment, has no doubts: on the regulation that would overhaul the automotive sector, we have moved too hastily. “There were complaints” about the method, he recalls in an interview with Eunews on the sidelines of the parliamentary proceedings. “We must not lower our ambitions,” but a revision of the texts seems necessary.

 Eunews: EPP president Manfred Weber explicitly stated that all engines, including conventional ones, must continue to be produced after 2035. Does that mean that there was a mistake during the previous parliamentary term?

 Massimiliano Salini: “Absolutely. A serious mistake has been made that is not sustainable and has had consequences for the market. Decarbonisation is not at issue here, but decarbonisation must be achieved with all available technologies.”

E: There are those who argue that eliminating the 2035 time horizon ends up penalising the industry, because it creates more uncertainty. How do you respond? 

M.S: “It is an error of judgment, from an industrial point of view. The costs of implementing the regulation as written are higher than those of the revision. The technology neutrality principle produces very high benefits.”

E: Is an opening to biofuels good news for Italy? 

M.S: “The whole approach to technology neutrality for Italy is good news, as is the analysis of the entire life cycle of technology. Within this approach, there is the possibility of evaluating alternative fuels.”

E: Is the electric transition in Europe still feasible, or do we risk leaving it to others?

M.S: “It is possible if it is done that way; if it is accompanied by reforms and not in a rigid way. Then it becomes possible to have the appropriate infrastructure and systems that balance costs. Otherwise, when you force the challenge, then you delegate to others.”