Norway denies report it plans conventional car sales ban
OSLO/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Norway denied on Tuesday a German media report that the country planned to outlaw the sale of all petrol and diesel engine cars from 2025 onwards.
German news agency DPA reported that Norway's National Transport Plan, a white paper presented by the government every four years to outline transport strategies and policy goals, included plans for the ban. It cited no sources.
But a spokesman for the Norwegian transport ministry said the country had no such plans.
"This government wants to encourage more environmentally friendly vehicles by using the carrot instead of stick," the spokesman said, adding that new technology would lead to a phasing-out of fossil-fueled cars in the long term without the need for outright bans.
Norway aims to reduce average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by new cars to 85 grams by 2020.
"This document included suggestions and recommendations for ambitious goals to reduce emissions from the transport sector," the spokesman said referring to the latest plan, which was presented in February, adding that the document included no suggestions of a ban.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche and Tina Bellon; Editing by Susan Thomas)
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