The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group has expressed strong concerns that Europe’s automotive sector is at the brink of collapse if the EU continues down its current path of bans and over-regulation.

The warning came during a topical debate proposed by the ECR Group on the future of Europe’s car industry, focusing in particular on reversing the 2035 ban on the sale of cars and vans with combustion engines. According to the Conservatives, this step is essential to safeguard Europe’s industrial base and millions of jobs.

Speaking during the debate, ECR Co-Chairman Patryk Jaki MEP said the issue went far beyond industrial policy.

“It isn’t just about industry, it’s about who Europe exists for: the wealthy or everyone. It’s about freedom of choice, what Europe wants to be, rational thinking and competitiveness.”

Mr Jaki warned that maintaining the current course would devastate Europe’s industrial base, destroy millions of jobs, and erode competitiveness.

“We’re calling for a reversal of the ban that stems from the biggest scam in the history of the EU: the Green Deal’s prohibition on combustion cars. For years, the automotive sector has been a pillar of the EU economy, supporting 14 million jobs and vast supply chains. Dismantling all this in the name of ideology would be catastrophic.”

He pointed to mounting evidence that Europe is losing ground to global competitors.

“Under the Green Deal and current EU rules, it costs four times as much to manufacture a car in Europe as it does in China. Was that really the intention? Chinese imports have risen five-fold, while European exports are falling. The Draghi Report itself confirms that our competitiveness is worsening year on year.”

The ECR Group stressed that Europe can still avoid long-term decline, but only if it abandons ideological policymaking and restores realism, innovation and technological neutrality. Rather than enforcing costly solutions on industry and citizens such as battery-only vehicles, the EU should support all clean technologies, including hybrids, synthetic fuels and advanced combustion engines.

“The alternatives are clear,” said Mr Jaki. “Either we change course now, or Europe’s car industry will become irrelevant. We in the ECR Group stand for a Europe that leads through innovation, not bans.”