France and Germany seek looser emissions rules for cars
A joint industrial plan aims to protect European production and give carmakers more flexibility.
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France and Germany announced their joint approach to the European car industry on Friday. They want to combine looser emissions rules with support for production in Europe; agreement with the other European partners has yet to follow.
In their joint statement of 16 October, Paris and Berlin present their agreement as a combination of climate policy and industrial policy. The two governments say they want to strengthen the development of electric vehicles while giving manufacturers more flexibility to take account of different market conditions. They identify investment, research, European production and reliable supply chains as elements of their approach. The statement confirms the political agreement but contains no detailed legislative provisions.
The specific easing of the rules emerges from reporting on the underlying compromise. According to Reuters and AFP, both countries want carmakers to reduce the average emissions of new cars by 90 per cent in 2035, without having to offset the remaining emissions. Reuters names 2021 as the comparison year. Their position therefore goes further than the European Commission's earlier proposal, which still required the remaining share to be offset following a 90 per cent reduction.
That distinction determines how much scope remains for new cars with internal combustion engines. According to Tagesschau's description, manufacturers would be able to continue selling such vehicles as long as their combined fleet of new cars met the prescribed emissions limit. The measure therefore concerns the average emissions of the fleet sold. The offsets previously proposed by the Commission could include the use of steel with a lower climate impact.
In return, there is an agreement on the origin of cars and components eligible for public support. France has pushed for a stronger preference for European production. Germany also wanted to leave room for major trading partners outside the EU. According to AFP, the compromise provides for a more limited group of participating countries, with the United Kingdom and Norway among those able to participate under certain conditions. The precise details remain subject to European negotiations.
Political opposition focuses mainly on the consequences for investment in electric cars. According to Deutschlandfunk, German Greens parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge warns that future jobs in battery cells and electric vehicles could be created elsewhere if Germany slows the transition. That is an expectation expressed by a political opponent. The two governments, by contrast, argue that flexibility is needed to combine the transition with the preservation of production and employment.
For the Netherlands, the European scope is particularly relevant: the negotiations concern common rules for the car market and the conditions for public support. The Franco-German agreement does not yet entail any change to vehicle approval rules for Dutch motorists or businesses. Paris and Berlin themselves write that they want to reach agreement with their European partners quickly. Their joint position is therefore a negotiating position for further decision-making, while the final European package has yet to be agreed.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- France and Germany have published a joint policy position.
- The statement provides for further negotiations with European partners.
- According to news agency reports, both countries want to remove the obligation to offset remaining emissions.
Left
Arguments A predictable climate pathway gives companies a reason to invest in electric vehicles. Support for workers and European production can be better linked to that transition.
Values Climate protection, sustainable employment and a fair distribution of transition costs.
Consequences Easing the rules could delay investment and keep workers dependent for longer on technologies whose future market is uncertain.
Centre
Arguments A European compromise must combine demonstrable emissions reductions with workable rules. Flexibility requires clear conditions, monitoring and a stable timetable.
Values Reliability in governance, European cooperation and feasibility.
Consequences A workable agreement could increase investment certainty; repeatedly adjusting targets could instead create uncertainty.
Right
Arguments Manufacturers must be given scope to use different technologies and meet varying customer demands. Europe must prevent rules from unnecessarily weakening its own production.
Values Freedom of choice, competitiveness and industrial independence.
Consequences Flexibility could protect production and jobs, but European preference rules must not unnecessarily restrict supply and competition.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
A joint government statement and several publicly available news sources confirm the development within the reporting period. The article distinguishes between the official outline, reported technical details and European decision-making that is still required.
- confirmed France and Germany published a joint approach to the car industry on 16 October. — The dated statement mentions the agreement and further cooperation with European partners. source
- confirmed The reported plan includes a 90 per cent reduction in emissions in 2035 compared with 2021, without additional offsets. — Reuters describes this technical position; the article presents it as a reported plan. source
- confirmed The Commission's earlier proposal required remaining emissions to be offset. — AFP describes the offsetting obligation and its removal in the compromise. source
- confirmed Sales of cars with internal combustion engines would remain possible within the average fleet limit. — Tagesschau describes this aspect of how the proposal would work. source
- confirmed AFP reports a more limited European origin scheme with conditional participation by countries including the UK and Norway. — Based on the draft document described by AFP. source
- confirmed Katharina Dröge warns of future jobs in electric mobility moving elsewhere. — Deutschlandfunk reports her criticism; the prediction is not presented as an established consequence. source
Editor's note
The official statement confirms the joint approach on 16 October. Technical details come from news agency reports on the compromise; a final European decision has not been adopted.Sources
- Déclaration de presse conjointe franco-allemande sur l’avenir de l’industrie automobile européenne — Élysée
- France, Germany near deal on car emissions and UK special status — Reuters via Euronext
- France, Germany reach deal on future of car industry — AFP
- Frankreich und Deutschland wollen Verbrenner-Aus aufweichen — Tagesschau
- Geplanter Auto-Deal mit Frankreich: Dröge spricht von Bremsklotz — Deutschlandfunk
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „auto-industrie europese unie”
- NOS — „auto-industrie europese unie”
- Het Parool — „auto-industrie europese unie”