HEIDELBERG, Germany, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Tuesday will propose rule changes that reverse previous plans for an effective ban on selling new cars with combustion engines in the 27-nation bloc from 2035, a senior EU lawmaker said on Friday.
The comments, which still need to be confirmed by Brussels in an announcement slated for December 16, mark a key victory for Germany, the bloc's top economy, in its efforts to protect its most important industry, which has come under intense pressure due to growing competition and trade barriers.
"Next Tuesday, the European Commission will be putting forward a clear proposal to abolish the ban on combustion engines," Manfred Weber, president of the largest party in the European Parliament, EPP, said at a press conference in Heidelberg, Germany.
He added it should be left to markets and consumers how climate targets are achieved.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who also attended the press conference, said that electric mobility remained the main path but that there would be other technologies, such as synthetic fuels, towards carbon neutrality.
"And that is precisely what we mean by technological openness. This now gives the industry real planning security," Merz said.
(Reporting by Tilman Blasshofer, Ludwig Burger and Christoph Steitz, editing by Thomas Seythal and Matthias Williams)
