Six member states push EU to water down 2035 ban on internal combustion engine cars

BRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Six European Union countries have on Friday asked the European Commission to water down an effective ban on the sale of internal combustion engine cars slated for 2035 ahead of the release of a new auto package next week.

The countries have asked the EU Commission to allow the sale of hybrid cars or vehicles powered by other, existing or future, technologies "that could contribute to the goal of reducing emissions" beyond 2035, a joint letter seen by Reuters showed on Friday.

The letter was signed by the prime ministers of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Slovakia.

They also asked for low-carbon and renewable fuels to be included in the plan to reduce the carbon emissions from transportation.

The European Commission is set to present a package of measures to support European automakers, such as an easing of the effective ban on internal combustion engines from 2035. The package is due to be published on Dec. 10, but could be delayed.

Since they adopted a regulation that all new vehicles from 2035 should have zero emissions in March 2023, EU countries are now having second thoughts. Back then, the outlook for battery electric vehicles was positive, but carmakers' efforts have later collided with the reality of lower-than-expected demand and fierce competition from China.

"We can and we must pursue our climate goal in an effective way, while not killing our competitiveness in the meanwhile since there is nothing green in an industrial desert," the prime ministers said in their letter.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro, writing by Louise Rasmussen, editing by Philip Blenkinsop and Louise Heavens)