The “Mainz Declaration – Growth Made in Germany” (in german: Mainzer Erklärung – Wachstum „Made in Germany“) of 19 January 2026 (link here) sends a clear signal in favor of individual mobility: the CDU aims to politically revisit the EU’s 2035 ban on combustion engines and believes that highly efficient ICEs can still have a future beyond that date-provided the ramp-up of non-fossil fuels succeeds. eFUEL-TODAY adds: fuels such as HVO already saw significant market uptake in 2025 and are now available at more than 2,000 filling stations across Germany (HVO100 and HVO blends). And 2026 has only just begun.
One point many underestimate: climate-friendly mobility is not an “either/or” choice, but about solutions that work quickly for the existing vehicle fleet and for commercial fleets. While the paper deliberately remains general and avoids explicitly naming e-fuels or HVO, the direction is clear: the combustion engine is not meant to disappear – it is meant to become cleaner.
And yes, e-mobility is an important part of the mix (including the expansion of charging infrastructure), but without coercive logic and without a “one-size-fits-all” approach. For us, this means it’s time for implementation-clear rules that allow renewable fuels to scale in practice, become widely available and affordable, and play a central role in climate protection.
Source: Mainzer Erklärung, Beschluss des Bundesvorstandes der CDU Deutschlands (link)
Berlin, 19. January 2026
Image: © CDU / Tim Hoffmann
