Czech Republic Joining Italy to Fight Carmakers' CO2 Fines

Skoda Auto cars are seen at the production line as the carmaker launches production of MEB battery systems in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, May 17, 2022. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo
Skoda Auto cars are seen at the production line as the carmaker launches production of MEB battery systems in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, May 17, 2022. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo
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Czech Republic Joining Italy to Fight Carmakers' CO2 Fines

Skoda Auto cars are seen at the production line as the carmaker launches production of MEB battery systems in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, May 17, 2022. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo
Skoda Auto cars are seen at the production line as the carmaker launches production of MEB battery systems in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, May 17, 2022. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo

The Czech Republic will join Italy in seeking to prevent carmakers from facing heavy penalties from next year when tougher CO2 emission rules take effect in the European Union, Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka said on Sunday.

Kupka said carmakers will face problems meeting new targets due to falling demand for electric vehicles in Europe, adding that the two countries had agreed on Friday to present their joint stance this week when EU leaders meet in Budapest.

Starting in 2025, the EU will lower a cap on average emissions from new vehicle sales to 94 grams/km from 116g/km. Exceeding that cap could lead to fines of 95 euros ($103) per excess CO2 g/km multiplied by the number of vehicles sold.

Carmakers face trouble adjusting their ranges to meet those targets, Kupka said, Reuters reported.

"They cannot do it because interest in electric cars is falling in all of Europe," Kupka told a Sunday debate show on broadcaster CNN Prima News. He said carmakers would lack money to finance research and development if they are forced to pay fines.

The Czech Republic is among a group of EU countries pushing back against the bloc's so-called Green Deal to tackle climate change and curb pollution. The tougher limits next year are a step towards plans to ban sales of new combustion engine vehicles in 2035.

The car industry contributes around 9% of GDP in the Czech Republic, a country of 10.9 million which made 1.4 million cars in 2023, making it one of Europe's biggest per-capita producers.

Three carmakers operate in the country - Volkswagen's Skoda Auto, Hyundai Motor Co and Toyota Motor Corp.



Iran Lifts Its Ban on Imports of New iPhone Models in Place Since Last Year

 The Apple iPhone 16 is displayed at the Apple Fifth Avenue store on Sept. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP)
The Apple iPhone 16 is displayed at the Apple Fifth Avenue store on Sept. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP)
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Iran Lifts Its Ban on Imports of New iPhone Models in Place Since Last Year

 The Apple iPhone 16 is displayed at the Apple Fifth Avenue store on Sept. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP)
The Apple iPhone 16 is displayed at the Apple Fifth Avenue store on Sept. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP)

Iranians will soon be able to get their hands on iPhones 14, 15 and 16 after authorities lifted a ban on new smartphone models by the US tech giant Apple, according to an announcement Wednesday.

The ban on new iPhone models had been in place since 2023 but now, the country's telecommunications minister said authorities are allowing the registration of the new models.

The minister, Satar Hashemi, said on X that the problem of registering new iPhone models on the Iranian market was “solved” and that Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian backed the efforts of the communication ministry toward that goal.

Hashemi did not elaborate but said the import measures would be announced, soon.

Following the 2023 ban, iPhone 13 and older versions could still be imported amid high demand for an item that remains a status symbol for many young Iranians.

While the ban was in place, any iPhone 14, 15 or a newer model brought into Iran would stop working on Iran’s state-controlled mobile phone networks after one month, the time span for tourists allowed to visit the county.

The ban spurred a parallel economy for the older handsets, jacking up prices for the devices as many sought to put their depreciating Iranian rials into any physical commodity. It was a sign of the economic woes plaguing Iran after decades of Western sanctions.

Imports of iPhones have long been a contentious point — government statistics suggest that about a third of Iran’s entire $4.4 billion mobile phone import market consisted of iPhones before the ban.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in 2020 pointedly criticized iPhone imports though he had previously slammed what he described as all American luxury goods.

“Excessive imports are something dangerous,” Khamenei said at the time, according to a transcript on his official website. “Sometimes this import is a luxury product, meaning there is no need for it. I’ve heard about half a billion dollars were spent to import one type of American luxury cellphone.”

However, other foreign smartphone brands such as Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, Xiaomi and Huawei remain widely available in Iran.