A spectacular rise in electric car sales in ​Europe has shifted some countries away from advocating ⁠for weaker rules ⁠for the future sales of combustion engine cars, EU ​Climate Commissioner Wopke ​Hoekstra said on ⁠Thursday.

"Some have indeed been saying, both member states and the European Parliament, 'isn't this a sign that the status quo was already good enough?'," Hoekstra said before a meeting of EU environment ministers in Luxembourg, referring ⁠to ⁠a previous target requiring a 100% cut in CO2 emissions from cars by 2035.

The EU Commission late last year dropped that effective ban on new combustion-engine cars from 2035 after ⁠pressure from the region's auto sector, changing the target to a 90% ​reduction.

Hoekstra said he still preferred the ​new proposal, but also said the rising sales of ⁠electric ‌cars ‌were "very helpful."

"Electric vehicle sales, ⁠particularly in the ‌three largest markets, but also secondhand (are) ​truly very impressive, ⁠with tens of percentages ⁠more than in the year ⁠before," Hoekstra said.