Europe’s largest carmakers and automotive suppliers are pressing Brussels to ease its climate deadlines, warning that the European Union’s carbon reduction targets for passenger vehicles are now out of reach.
In a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, industry leaders said the bloc’s strict CO₂ requirements for 2030 and 2035 cannot realistically be met under current conditions. The letter was signed by Mercedes-Benz chief executive and ACEA president Ola Källenius, along with Matthias Zink, Schaeffler board member and president of CLEPA, the suppliers’ association.
“Meeting the rigid car and van CO₂ targets for 2030 and 2035 is, in today’s world, simply no longer feasible,” they wrote. “The current CO₂ reduction path must be recalibrated to deliver on EU climate goals while safeguarding Europe’s competitiveness, social cohesion, and supply chain resilience.”
Their warning comes ahead of a Sept. 12 meeting between EU officials and automotive executives, a gathering that is expected to shape the bloc’s regulatory course in the face of slowing EV adoption and rising global competition.
The industry leaders argued that Europe remains heavily reliant on Asia for its battery supply chain, while charging infrastructure across the continent is uneven. They also pointed to higher energy and manufacturing costs in Europe, along with trade barriers such as the 15% tariff imposed on EU car exports to the United States.
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Källenius and Zink insisted that a more “holistic and pragmatic” approach is needed, emphasizing that battery-electric vehicles have not reached sufficient market share. They urged policymakers to adopt “technology neutrality,” allowing hybrids and other low-emission technologies to play a bigger role in the transition.
“Penalties and legal mandates alone will not drive the transformation,” they wrote. “Plug-in hybrids, for example, remain vital in meeting decarbonization goals and addressing consumer demand, particularly in export markets.”
The letter warned that without policies to reinforce Europe’s industrial base, the transition risks hollowing out the continent’s automotive sector. “The world has changed drastically since the current direction was set,” they concluded, “and the EU’s strategy must change with it.”