After a long and hard-fought discussion, the fateful agreement was reached: the European environment ministers established the percentage of cuts in CO2 emissions from new cars and vans to be achieved in 2030 compared to today: the agreed reduction is 35% for vehicles and 30% for vans. The agreement came after a veritable tug of war, a meeting that lasted over 13 hours, with the more ecological countries pushing for a broader solution and in the end Germany, Europe's leading car manufacturer, decided to vote for the compromise text prepared by the Austrian presidency of the EU.
Berlin has done everything to stick to the first proposal of the European Commission, that of the 30% cut for cars. A broad front of States, from France to Italy, from Holland to Luxembourg to Ireland, instead pulled the sprint to the position of the European Parliament, which recently settled on a 40% cut. The agreement passed with 20 votes in favor (including Italy), 4 abstentions and 4 against and provides for exemptions for those who produce few vehicles. Negotiations begin on October 10 and it is not known how long they will last: this phase, which also involves the European deputies, is called a trilogue because the European Commission also participates in the trilogue.
The EU climate commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete said he was satisfied even if, pending the approval of the European Parliament, it is necessary to extend the measures to combat pollution also outside the vehicle sector and outside of Europe political-commercial otherwise apocalyptic scenarios which were discussed for a long time when, at the end of 2015, the president of the United States Donald Trump had threatened not to comply with the agreements signed in Paris.
