"I would not like a Chinagate to emerge in Brussels after Qatargate. Eliminating traditional combustion engines within 12 years, destroying European and Italian jobs and industries to give them to China, is economic and social suicide": Matteo Salvini wrote on social media.
Matteo Salvini, Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the League, once again attacked the European climate package, which calls for a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2035. " Eliminating traditional combustion-engine cars within 12 years, destroying European and Italian jobs and industries to give them away to China, is economic and social suicide ," the League leader wrote on social media.
Then alluding to an alleged plan to favor the Chinese economy: “ I would not like a Chinagate to emerge in Brussels after Qatargate ,” he continues.
This isn't the first time the Minister of Transport has opposed the European measure, which aims to cut polluting emissions in order to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. " Factories and shops closed in Italy and Europe, workers and artisans without jobs and wages, and lifelong dependence on China. The League will do everything to stop this madness ," Salvini declared when the agreement between EU institutions was reached.
" This is a historic decision ," commented Pascal Canfin, chair of the European Parliament's Environment Committee. He also announced, in response to concerns shared by the People's Party (PPP) group, the establishment of a transition fund for sector employees. The impact on the labor market is, in fact, the most sensitive issue of the package.
Which, however, includes intermediate steps. In the meantime, by 2030, manufacturers will have to cut emissions from new cars registered on the market by 55% (for commercial vehicles, the percentage is reduced to 50%). All decisions, however, will be reviewed in 2026 to assess the effects of the measure and the sustainability of the short-term objectives.
