Own summit planned

Chancellor prepares “Öxit” from the ban on combustion engines

Chancellor Karl Nehammer wants to mobilize against the ban on combustion engines.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

Nothing less than hundreds of thousands of jobs and the future of the red-white-red industrial location are at stake. The EU's continuing ban on combustion engines from 2035 is causing a "mobilization" in the Chancellery one week before the European elections. At short notice, a separate summit is to be held on Monday - and the red-white-red slide, an "Öxit" so to speak, is to be prepared for the lifting of the ban. 

It was a "Krone" article that revealed what has been politically emerging in Brussels for several months. Key players in the European Union are backtracking on the ban on combustion engines, which was originally set for 2035. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently emphasized that the decision will be reviewed in 2026 anyway.

Where the pressure is particularly high
In Germany, Gabriel Felbermayr, Director of the Economic Research Institute (Wifo), recently also doubted that the ban could be maintained in its current form. He referred to tight deadlines across the EU, for example with a view "to the east".

And Austria's Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer? He believes that phasing out combustion engines is "the wrong way" anyway and apparently wants to find the right one. As the Krone newspaper has learned, Nehammer is convening a special round table with experts and business representatives in Styria on Monday. In southern Styria in particular, in the region around the car cluster, this is creating enormous economic pressure. 

Who is at the table
According to information from "Krone", Styrian Governor Christopher Drexler, Economics Minister Kocher, representatives from Magna, BMW, Siemens and Georg Knill, President of the Federation of Austrian Industries, are among those taking part. The aim of the meeting is to discuss a joint national approach against the EU ban on combustion engines - and to prepare appropriate steps for the period after the EU elections.

We need progress and freedom for our companies instead of bans and restrictions on their activities!

Bundeskanzler Karl Nehammer (ÖVP)

"We say yes to the car. That means yes to over a hundred thousand jobs, yes to innovation and research, yes to our business location. This clear statement is important for our companies to have planning security. However, the EU regulations on phasing out combustion engines are currently tying the car industry down. We want to fight this with all our strength - against the bureaucracy, against the bans," explained the Chancellor in the run-up to the Auto Summit.

How important the automotive industry is for Austria

• The export ratio in the automotive industry is almost 90 percent
• In 2022, the automotive industry in Austria alone had a turnover of over 17 billion euros
• The sector has recorded a 66% increase in employees over the past 25 years, which is far higher than the industry in general
• Road transport generates a total of around 26 billion euros in taxes and duties

Europe has always been successful as an industrial location when it has relied on innovation and great technical know-how. The European People's Party has apparently long since recognized this. The conservative former President of the European Parliament Manfred Weber has already announced: "If my group can secure a majority after the European elections, we will reverse the ban on combustion engines passed by the European Parliament in this legislative period". On Monday, the red-white-red slide is apparently to be laid for this and the support of several important stakeholders is to be obtained.

Experts fear for climate targets
Experts are also only expecting a watered-down version of the ban. However, even this variant would already have a massive impact on the environment. "Just under 40 percent of the CO₂ savings potential in the transport sector can be attributed to the electrification of cars. If the plans to phase out combustion engines are withdrawn or postponed, it will definitely be more difficult for Austria to achieve its climate policy targets by 2040," explained Harald Frey from the Institute of Transport Sciences at the Vienna University of Technology (TU). In Austria, around 24 million tons of CO₂ equivalents would be produced in the transport sector each year. The mobility researcher refers to calculations from the Federal Environment Agency's "Transition Mobility 2040" report, which show that nine million tons alone could be saved by 2040 by electrifying the car fleet.