Germany backs EU fossil fuel car phaseout, with tweak

Germany can support a European Union proposal to effectively ban new fossil fuel car sales from 2035, if an option is added to allow sales of cars running on "CO2 neutral" fuels, German environment minister Steffi Lemke said on Tuesday. "This addition is important to Germany in terms of our position, we believe it can also be a bridge for the overall discussion," Lemke told a meeting of EU environment ministers, who are attempting to agree a deal on the law on Tuesday.

Germany's proposed addition to the law would ask Brussels to make a separate proposal allowing vehicles "running exclusively on CO2-neutral fuels" to be sold after 2035, she said.