BRUSSELS -- The European Commission should set a date to ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars across the European Union to align the transport sector with climate goals, nine member countries said.
Led by Denmark and the Netherlands, the countries have written to the European Commission, the bloc's executive, calling for ambitious EU policies to tackle the quarter of EU greenhouse gases that come from transport.
This must include a phase-out date for the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars and vans in the EU to support the shift to zero-emissions vehicles, the countries said.
"We have to accelerate the green transition of road transport and as legislators send clear signals to car manufacturers and consumers across the EU," Danish climate minister Dan Jorgensen on Wednesday.
The other countries joining the push were Austria, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Malta.
The European Commission will propose tougher CO2 standards for new cars in Europe in June as part of a package of policies aimed at delivering its goal to cut net EU greenhouse gas emissions at least 55 percent by 2030, from 1990 levels, and steer the bloc towards climate neutrality by 2050.
The current CO2 standards need a "significant strengthening," and the EU must also bolster charging and refueling infrastructure for zero-emissions vehicles, the countries said.
EU legislation should also be amended to allow countries to take national action to phase out new gasoline and diesel cars, they said.
Many automakers have already laid out a timetable to switch to all-electric car line-ups.
The UK government has said it will to ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars and vans in 2030.
Sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the EU almost trebled to over 1 million vehicles in 2020, accounting for more than 10 percent of overall sales.
