Future EU Transport Commissioner backs e-mobility and end of combustion engines
According to an EU Parliament ritual, proposed Commissioners are first "grilled". Here, the future Transport Commissioner declared his support for e-mobility.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas is to head the EU Commission's Transport and Tourism division.
(Image: European People's Party)
The future EU Commissioner for Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, supports Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's line that electromobility should reduce emissions from the transport sector in the long term. The politician from the EPP group said at his hearing by the EU Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism that this would include supporting the automotive industry instead of weakening the so-called ban on combustion engines in new cars from 2035.
No exit from the phase-out
The Commissioner-designate stated that he would support the measures of the Green Deal for road, air, sea and rail transport, but without committing himself to details. This also includes support for von der Leyen's compromise proposal to use synthetic fuels from renewable energies to justify extending the production of vehicles with combustion engines. What Tziztikostas does not want to support is a repeal of the indirect decision to phase out combustion engine technology, as some in his own parliamentary group are calling for in the interests of the industry. The EU has not banned the combustion engine in new cars, but rather local COâ‚‚ emissions. This approach is open to all technologies. How the industry implements this is therefore up to it. The fleet limits are also not to be affected, the Greek said when asked.
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Promotion of e-car fleets
Tzitzikostas left open how the EU should support the introduction of electromobility by promoting fleet leasing by companies. According to the EU's idea –, e-mobility could establish itself more quickly in the private sector by increasing the supply of affordable used electric cars –.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed the conservative politician from Greece as Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism on September 20. He is a member of the liberal-conservative Nea Dimokratia party, which is part of the European People's Party (EPP) group in the EU Parliament. He was President of the European Committee of the Regions from 2020 to 2022.
(fpi)