Germany to support EU plans for 2035 ban on new fossil-fuel cars, says environment minister

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany plans to vote in support of a European Union package that would effectively ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035, said the environment minister on Tuesday.

“If the package includes what the Commission suggested, banning cars that emit carbon dioxide from 2035, then we will vote in support,” Environment Minister Steffi Lemke told broadcaster ZDF.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner said at an event hosted by Germany’s BDI industry association last week that the German government would not agree to the plan.

(Reporting by Miranda Murray, editing by Rachel More)