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Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU

The whole of Europe is currently debating what to do and what strategies to adopt to cope with the increasingly evident climate change. Last month, the European Commission presented a proposal to ban the production of combustion-engine cars from 2035 onwards, while allowing cars already registered to circulate.

This choice was designed to focus more on electric cars, and was welcomed by almost all member states (Italy one of the only ones initially against). After an initial assent, however, even Germany has turned back, convinced that electric vehicles are not the only way to make wheeled transport less polluting.

Needless to say, this change of direction has been received badly by environmental associations, starting with Greenpeace, which staged an unusual and incisive protest on 22 March.

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Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
The whole of Europe is currently debating what to do and what strategies to adopt to cope with the increasingly evident climate change. Last month, the European Commission presented a proposal to ban the production of combustion-engine cars from 2035 onwards, while allowing cars already registered to circulate. This choice was designed to focus more on electric cars, and was welcomed by almost all member states (Italy one of the only ones initially against). After an initial assent, however, even Germany has turned back, convinced that electric vehicles are not the only way to make wheeled transport less polluting. Needless to say, this change of direction has been received badly by environmental associations, starting with Greenpeace, which staged an unusual and incisive protest on 22 March.
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Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
An installation by Greenpeace activists shows an SUV that appears to have been slammed onto the sidewalk in front of the Brandenburg Gate on March 22, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.
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Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
Greenpeace protests against the German government's demand for an exception to new European legislation that would ban the sale of cars with combustion engines by 2030. German Transport Minister Volker Wissing calls for an exception for vehicles that can run on so-called synthetic fuels.
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Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
Germany's position can be summed up in the fact that the Germans do not think that electricity is the one and only way forward, but that it is possible to exploit the current production chain in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way, with less polluting new-generation fuels.
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Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
Obviously, Greenpeace activists do not think so, with the world's largest environmental groups confidently pointing towards electric. This retreat is seen as Germany's renunciation of active environmental policies.
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Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
In Germany, it is the 'Last Generation' organization that is the most active on the ecological car protest front. Already in 2022, their activists organised 276 roadblocks on German roads.
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Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
Germany is not new to these strong stances. At the beginning of the energy crisis due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, for example, the government decided to reopen and expand the use of coal for energy production, certainly not an ecological but a political choice. This had caused much protest even from the famous Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
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Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
Germany continues to argue that it is not economically viable to impose such a radical change, and in such a short timeframe from a production point of view. In fact, according to the government leadership, intermediate solutions would be better, such as the hybrid, which is already enjoying great success, against the current and very obvious problems of the electric. Furthermore, the German position is that combustion vehicles will only be allowed to circulate after 2035 if they are powered by synthetic fuels.
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