A triumphant right’s first post-election target: EU’s Green Deal

By Karl Mathiesen, Zia Weise, Louise Guillot | 06/12/2024 06:15 AM EDT

In the crosshairs is a 2035 ban on the sale of combustion engine cars — a central pillar of the Green Deal’s plan to cut planet-warming emissions.

The president of the center-right European People's Party (EPP) Manfred Weber speaks to the press during a night event at the European Parliament in Brussels after the results of the European Parliament elections on June 9, 2024.

Manfred Weber told POLITICO the EU’s ban on the sale of combustion engine cars after 2035 was a “mistake” and promised the European People’s Party would discuss rolling it back in “upcoming days.” Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images

BRUSSELS — The newly buoyed right wasted no time in firing its first shot at the EU’s flagship package of green laws, minutes after proclaiming victory Sunday night in the European election.

In the crosshairs: a 2035 ban on the sale of combustion engine cars — a central pillar of the Green Deal’s plan to cut planet-warming emissions on Europe’s roadways.

It was the first thing mentioned by Manfred Weber, leader of the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), which grabbed the most European Parliament seats in the election, as he walked out of a boisterous election night party in Brussels.

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The ban, he told POLITICO, was a “mistake,” promising the party would discuss rolling it back in “upcoming days.”

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