BRUSSELS: The European Union on Thursday struck an agreement on legislation to phase out new CO2-emitting vehicles by 2035, negotiators announced.

The talks between representatives of the European Council, fronting the 27 member states, and the European Parliament started on Thursday and underpin the bloc’s transition towards a carbon-neutral future.

“We have just finished the negotiations on CO2 standards for cars,” tweeted French MEP Pascal Canfin, who heads the European parliament’s environment commission.

“Historic (EU) decision for the climate which definitively confirms the target of 100 per cent zero emission vehicles in 2035 with intermediary phases between 2025 and 2030.” Cars currently account for about 15 percent of all CO2 emissions in the EU, while transportation overall accounts for around a quarter.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2022