BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has raised hopes that the coalition committee could reach an agreement on the combustion engine phase-out as early as Thursday. During a joint press conference with the party leaders of the CDU, CSU, and SPD, he answered "yes" when asked whether he expected an agreement in the evening. However, sources close to him later stated that an understanding was "not necessarily" expected.
The coalition committee had already reached several decisions on energy policy earlier. Further negotiations are scheduled to continue over dinner in the evening. Merz stated that, in addition to the combustion engine phase-out, the contentious pension package would also be discussed.
The Chancellor intends to advocate for changes at the EU level regarding the planned end to the approval of combustion engines in 2035. However, the coalition has yet to reach a unified position on the matter./mfi/DP/he
