BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - German Transport Minister Volker Wissing has warned against too tough regulation and job cuts in view of the EU Commission's plans for the Euro 7 emissions standard. "Regulation must promote mobility, not prevent it," the FDP politician told the German Press Agency in Berlin on Monday. He added that the systematic shortage caused by regulation not only jeopardizes the further ramp-up of e-mobility, but increasingly also countless jobs.

"If vehicles become more and more expensive without more environmental protection being associated with them, mobility will become a luxury good," Wissing said. "We need participation in the area through individual mobility - also in the future."

In November, the EU Commission had presented its proposals for a stricter emissions standard. Road traffic is the largest source of air pollution in cities, he said. The new standards should ensure cleaner vehicles on the roads and better air quality to protect the health of citizens and the environment. Euro 7, for example, is expected to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from cars by an estimated 35 percent by 2035, and by more than 50 percent for buses and trucks.

"When the automotive industry warns that regulation will make vehicles unnecessarily more expensive and hinder the acceleration of e-mobility, this should be taken very seriously," Wissing said. "The EU Commission cannot on the one hand demand high climate protection targets and on the other hand prevent their achievement through regulation." He added that the internal combustion engine can combine climate protection and mobility with synthetic fuels. "Europe must not prevent this technological solution."

The automotive states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony had called on the German government not to accept the EU Commission's plans for the Euro 7 emissions standard. The three states fear significant disadvantages for the German auto industry if implemented, according to a letter from the three state premiers to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) obtained by dpa.

The new emissions directive is to apply to newly registered vehicles from July 2025. The European Parliament and EU states still have to approve the Commission's proposals. Negotiations are currently underway. In the next step, EU countries and the Parliament must agree before the rules can come into force. So theoretically, the Commission's proposal can still change quite a bit./hoe/DP/jha