luxembourg the european union approved to end the sale of vehicles with combustion engines by 2035 in europe the 27member bloc announced early wednesday in a bid to reduce co2 emissions to zero the proposal was raised in july 2021 and this decision will mean a de facto halt to sales of petrol and diesel vehicles and a complete shift to electric engines in the european union from 2035 the measure is intended to help achieve the continents climate objectives in particular carbon neutrality by 2050 at the request of countries including germany and italy the eu27 also agreed to consider a future green light for the use of alternative technologies such as synthetic fuels or plugin hybrids if they can achieve the complete elimination of greenhouse gas emissions environment ministers meeting in luxembourg also approved a fiveyear extension of the exemption from co2 obligations granted to socalled niche manufacturers or those producing fewer than 10000 vehicles per year until the end of 2035 the clause sometimes referred to as the ferrari amendment will benefit luxury brands in particular these measures must now be negotiated with members of the european parliament this is a big challenge for our automotive industry acknowledged french minister of ecological transition agnes pannierrunacher who chaired tuesdays meeting but she said it was a necessity in the face of competition from china and the united states which have bet heavily on electric vehicles seen as the future of the industry