Italian minister: ‘Rather 90 percent new cars emission-free in 2035’

All new cars zero emissions by 2035, with the sole exception of super-small manufacturers of hyper-exclusive exotics. That is the plan that has finally been finalized since earlier this year, or at least seems to be. In Italy they are not convinced yet. The boot-shaped country has previously spoken negatively about the plans, including through Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.

Now Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is also joining the debate. The Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera writes that Tajani has come up with a concrete proposal: set the limit at 90 instead of 100 percent. So: in 2035 not all new cars, but 90 percent of all new cars must be emission-free. This would give the Italian industry in particular more time to adapt.

If that does not happen, according to the Italians, hundreds of thousands of jobs and numerous companies are at risk of being lost. Of course, one has a right to speak in that area, because as the European seat of the FCA, which has merged into Stellantis, Italy is an important player in the automotive field in Europe.

Tajani is supported by Adolfo Urso, Minister of Economic Development in Italy. According to Urso, the time frame proposed by the EU simply cannot be reconciled with the Italian reality. According to Urso, it is not only about the car industry itself, but also about the number of charging stations. The Netherlands is specifically mentioned by Urso: “There are currently 36,000 charging points in Italy, compared to 90,000 in the Netherlands.” EV sales in Italy are also not going well: according to Automotive News, even fewer were sold in 2022 than a year earlier, with the market share of EVs stuck at 3.7 percent. By way of comparison: the average in Europe is now 12 percent.