During a debate at the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, devoted to the presentation of the automotive package, Law and Justice MEPs Jacek Ozdoba and Kosma Złotowski criticized the European Commission’s proposals, pointing out that the ban on the registration of internal combustion engine vehicles starting in 2035 and the accompanying regulations threaten the European automotive industry and the competitiveness of the EU economy, and shift the costs of the transition onto businesses and citizens.
Jacek Ozdoba described the automotive package as a threat to the competitiveness of European companies, the Union’s industrial sovereignty, and the accessibility of transportation for citizens.
“This is sheer madness—you’d have to be either crazy or under the influence of lobbyists to adopt such measures, and then deregulate them and declare it a success. Along with these reductions in regulatory burdens come even worse solutions. Maybe you should think about what you’re voting on?” Ozdoba stated.
The MEP also asked: “Where are all those experts who sat on the committees and approved all of this? Do you want to tell me and Europeans that solutions which are ruining European industry were adopted based on falsified expert reports? Who took a bribe, or perhaps who made such a huge mistake?”
Summarizing his position, Ozdoba pointed out that instead of proposing that Europeans “green” their fleets, the Commission should withdraw these flawed regulations: “That’s the best solution for Europe.”
In his speech, Kosma Złotowski recalled that the European Commission began work on the package with unequivocal declarations about banning the registration of internal combustion engine cars starting in 2035, ignoring the industry’s actual capabilities and the economic situation of citizens.
“When we asked whether the European industry could keep up and whether Europeans would be able to afford it, we were told that it didn’t matter because ‘the planet is on fire’ and we must act at all costs,” the MEP pointed out.
As he emphasized, the consequence of this policy is the systematic weakening of the European automotive sector, which for decades has been one of the pillars of innovation and economic growth in the European Union.
“Brussels built a gallows for the European automotive industry and then invited China to help tighten the noose,” he said.
Złotowski noted that today the European Commission acknowledges that the chosen course has proven to be a mistake, but instead of real change, it proposes only cosmetic adjustments, shifting the costs of the transition onto companies and corporate fleets.
“Painting the gallows green won’t solve the problem. It needs to be dismantled while European industry is still breathing. No minor adjustments—only a complete withdrawal from the ban can bring about a real effect,” he emphasized.
PiS MEPs unanimously stressed that the EU’s climate policy must not lead to the elimination of strategic economic sectors or make Europe dependent on producers outside the Union.
