The European Parliament has approved a new law banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2035.The new rule - part of a larger effort to combat climate change in the EU - will speed up the bloc’s transition to electric vehicles.
Cars currently account for around 15 per cent of all CO2 emissions in the EU.The legislation demands that carmakers cut carbon emissions from new cars by 100 per cent.
In practice, this means no new fossil fuel-powered vehicles will be able to be sold from 2035 onwards.The approval on Tuesday is one step before the law gets a formal rubber stamp and comes into effect.But some countries are pushing back against the change.Italy is home to big car brands like Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, which are heavily reliant on combustion engine vehicles.
Around 270,000 people are directly or indirectly employed by the automotive industry in the country.Italian Minister for Transport Matteo Salvini has called the new law economic “suicide” for the EU.