Italy's government is the latest to voice strong opposition to the European Union's plan to phase out new sales of combustion engine vehicles by 2035. While the EU insists that it’s not banning the combustion engine outright, but rather prohibiting vehicles that emit harmful emissions, Italy argues the policy is impractical. Critics believe that unless carbon-neutral synthetic fuels can scale up quickly, the plan will effectively act as a ban. With a tight timeline of just over a decade, many are questioning whether this ambitious goal is realistic.

Italy's Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, has not minced words, calling the EU’s plan “absurd” and labeling it as an "ideological vision" that has already failed. Italy's right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, argues that a more pragmatic approach is necessary. Rather than enforcing a strict, one-size-fits-all ban across the 27 EU member states, Italy proposes more flexibility for individual countries in achieving decarbonization targets. Minister Adolfo Urso, in charge of business and Made in Italy, is advocating for an earlier review of the 2035 ban, aiming for 2025 rather than the currently scheduled 2026.

According to Urso, the EU’s insistence on transitioning exclusively to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2035 could destabilize Europe’s car industry. He believes that a more gradual shift from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to EVs would be a more achievable and less risky strategy.

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