The government of the Czech Republic, through its prime minister Andrej Babis, said that it intends to defend the car industry in its country by defying the European Union proposal that dictates, consequently, the end of combustion engines in new cars in 2035.
After the Italian government said it was in talks with the European Commission to extend the “life” of combustion engines for its post-2035 supercars, the Czech government is also looking to extend the existence of the combustion engine, but for the entire industry.
Speaking to the online newspaper iDnes, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that "we do not agree with the ban on the sale of cars that use fossil fuels".
"It's not possible. We cannot dictate here what green fanatics invented in the European Parliament”, Andrej Babis concluded emphatically.
The Czech Republic will assume the presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2022, where the topic of the automobile industry will be one of the priorities of the Czech executive.
On the other hand, despite these statements, the prime minister stated that the country will continue to invest in expanding the charging network for electric cars, but does not intend to subsidize the production of this type of car.
Andrej Babis, who is seeking re-election next October, is prioritizing the protection of national interests, where the automobile industry is of particular importance, as it represents practically a third of the country's economy.
In addition to being the country where Skoda was born, which has two factories in operation in the country, Toyota and Hyundai also produce cars in the country.
Source: Automotive News.