Germany, a ‘government without a word’ and with Porsche at the wheel

The European locomotive withdraws at the last minute from a law already agreed upon by the entire bloc. The anger of Brussels. And the reasons.

The decisions made by the European Union, its rules and regulations, go through a long process that usually involves a proposal from the European Commission (many times politically dictated by governments) and a negotiation with a representation of the European Parliament and with the 27 governments. of the block.

In the end, the MEPs and the ministers of the branch vote. Those negotiations can be quick or they can drag on for years. But when one morning everyone agrees and shakes hands, the pact that comes out of the room is sacred even if it is verbal and there is no signature.

We journalists count it as such despite the fact that legal formalisms are always lacking, such as the signature of ambassadors to the European Union and the publication of the standard in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The pacts agreed unanimously in the EU are sacred. Photo: Reuters

These formalities are not news because it had never occurred to anyone that after closing the negotiation and accepting the agreement someone would go back. Until this month of February.

A serious precedent

After two years of negotiations, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the 27 governments agreed that December 31, 2034 would be the last day on which a car with a classic combustion engine.

The energy transition is going fast and the vast majority of car manufacturers have been investing in the development of electric cars for years. Some, like the German Mercedez-Benz, assured years ago that it will not wait until 2034, that December 31, 2029 will be the last day it sells cars with combustion engines.

The vast majority of car manufacturers have spent years investing in the development of electric cars. Photo: Reuters

When everything was agreed, the German ambassador to the European Union informed his Swedish counterpart (Sweden holds the temporary presidency until June 30) that he had received the order not to sign. Nobody understood anything. How did the German government refuse to sign if weeks before his minister had given the go-ahead to the measure? The explanation must be sought in Berlin.

The German government is a coalition of three parties, whose tensions are having consequences in Brussels: the Social Democrat, the Ecologist and the Liberal, in that order because their representation in the coalition depends on the electoral results.

The head of government is the social democrat Olaf Scholz (according to the measure), the great Ministry of Energy and Climate of the environmentalist Robert Habeck (also according) but in Finance the liberal Christian Lindner commands, who also controls the Ministry through an ally of Transport. And for Lindner the fight against the climate crisis is the gazillion priority.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner. Photo: Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP

The German retreat at the last minute upset Brussels greatly. Senior officials clutched their heads and talked about how Berlin is creating a precedent that other governments will use in the future to torpedo any media or at least to delay it.

A minister from a southern European country goes so far as to say in private that the German government is now “a government without a word” because what is negotiated with some German ministers has no value for others.

Porsche

In the European Commission, where they are trying to negotiate – what Germany demands is that cars with sine die combustion engines be allowed to be sold but that these use synthetic fuels not extracted from petroleum, which also generate polluting emissions when burned in the car – it also bothers that German liberals claim they are defending the German auto sector when in fact they are defending only a small luxury car sector, represented by the Porsche march.

German motor giants such as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz or BMW have been investing in electric cars for years and are involved in this energy transition. Lindner loves the Porsche 911.

In Brussels it is also annoying that a matter that was closed and approved is reopened and that it is no longer just Germany.

Austria and Italy, which as all had voted in favour, now defend the new position of the German liberals. Italy has luxury brands to defend (Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini) but Austria has none and its change seems to be explained more by the fact that Austrian conservatives tend to drag their feet, to end up approving them, when there are European measures against the climate crisis.

Brussels, special for Clarín

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