German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said there should soon be an agreement to resolve a dispute with European Union partners over allowing an exception for e-fuels after combustion-engine vehicles are banned after 2035.
(Bloomberg) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said there should soon be an agreement to resolve a dispute with European Union partners over allowing an exception for e-fuels after combustion-engine vehicles are banned after 2035.
Ensuring that cars can operate with e-fuels but not gasoline or diesel “is not an impossible task. It is not difficult either,” Scholz said in Berlin after talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who currently serves as the president of the European Council. “And that’s why I expect a result soon.”
Germany roiled EU partners with a last-minute objection to a plan that had already been approved by the EU’s 27 member states and the European Parliament in October. A final vote was scrapped because it wouldn’t pass amid Berlin’s objection.
The dispute raised questions over Germany’s reliability as Scholz’s unruly three-party alliance struggles to forge common ground. The spat was sparked by the pro-business Free Democrats, which has struggled in recent regional elections and slipped in national polls.
Read more: Germany Is Becoming a Roadblock for More and More EU Business
Sweden’s Kristersson confirmed that few issues remain, but neither leader went into specifics.
“Now we are discussing a few details,” he said. “I am pretty sure that we will sort these things out.”
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