Italian PM promises to rectify EU ban on petrol and diesel cars

Meloni comments the decision made no sense in the lower house of parliament ahead of EU summit

ROME:

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday the government would work to correct the European Union ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035, saying the decision made no sense.

Meloni was speaking in the lower house of parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, ahead of a EU summit in Brussels later this week.

Previously, expressing “strong dissatisfaction” after the EU Commission announced higher tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EV), Beijing called the move a “protectionist act.”

“This is a naked protectionist act, creating and escalating trade frictions, and ‘destroying fair competition’ in the name of ‘maintaining fair competition’,” China’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

The commission said it will impose additional custom duties of as much as 38.1% on Chinese electric vehicles as of July 4.

However, the ministry accused the EU of “disregarding the facts and World Trade Organization rules” as well as “ignoring” China's repeated strong opposition.

It said the EU decision “will also disrupt and distort the global automotive industry supply chain, including the EU.”