European Union energy ministers agreed on Tuesday to end sales of vehicles that emit greenhouse gases, with limited exceptions.

The ministers met in Brussels and approved a law that will ban the sale of new cars and vans that emit carbon dioxide by 2035. They want to come in line with a deal to have net-zero emissions across Europe by 2050.

Officials in Germany won an exemption that offers a lifeline to traditional vehicles. They argue those that run on synthetics known as e-fuels are carbon neutral. However, those fuels are not widely available, and vehicles that run on them will have to use technology to prevent them from starting when filled with petrol or diesel.