Kathmandu. The European Union has backtracked on its previous decision to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035. The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, strongly criticized this step and termed it as a historical mistake. Speaking at a climate conference held in Madrid, he said that this decision will harm Europe's environmental image and sustainable future.

In 2023, the EU took the decision to replace fossil fuel vehicles as a major success in the fight against climate change. However, European car manufacturers pressured Brussels to ease the ban due to strong competition from cheap electric vehicles from China and the attraction of EVs in the domestic market was not as expected.