The European Union will ease its strict 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars. Instead of 100% zero-emission vehicles, car makers will only need to make 90% by 2035. This change, confirmed by the European Commission, allows some plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and even combustion engines to be made after 2035. To balance this, the leftover 10% of cars not fully green must be offset with eco-friendly actions in factories. These include using green steel made in Europe or biofuels in non-electric vehicles. The Commission said, "This will allow for plug-in hybrids (PHEV), range extenders, mild hybrids, and internal combustion engine vehicles to still play a role beyond 2035, in addition to full electric (EVs) and hydrogen vehicles." Electric van targets were also eased. The required carbon emission cut by 2030 was lowered from 50% to 40%. This shift came after lobbying by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The change is a win for Europe's car industry, which struggles to fully switch to electric vehicles and faces tough competition from China. The Green Party in the European Parliament criticized the move, calling it a "gutting" of key environmental rules. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "Europe remains at the forefront of the global clean transition." She added the decisions followed "intense dialogues with automotive sector, civil society organisations and stakeholders." Alongside this, the Commission introduced "super credits" to encourage making small electric cars. Each small car produced will count as 1.3 cars toward emissions quotas until 2035. They also announced steps to boost electric car sales to corporate fleets, aiming to speed up EV adoption since these fleets provide many secondhand cars.