Germany won a delay on a deal to introduce a tougher CO2 emissions target for Europe’s new-car fleet in 2020, environmental campaigners said.

Representatives of EU countries postponed a vote on the limit at their meeting today, according to the Transport & Environment lobby group.

The postponement came after a late intervention from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called Enda Kenny, prime minister of Ireland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, to request the delay.

Germany is worried that the 2020 goal to limit average fleet CO2 emissions to 95 grams per kilometer from about 132g/km now will harm the country’s luxury carmakers such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which mainly sell large vehicles with high emissions.

Germany does not have sufficient support to defeat the agreement at present and has instead delayed the vote to gather more support from other countries including Croatia, which will join the EU next month, said Greg Archer of Brussels-based T&E. The Netherlands and the UK also supported Germany’s call for a delay, he said.

“It’s unprecedented in EU environmental policymaking that the pressure of one country delays a vote in an attempt to overturn a fairly-negotiated agreement between the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council itself,” Archer said in a statement.

On Monday, Ireland brokered a compromise deal that allowed automakers to continue to offset sales of electric and other green vehicles against those of cars with high emissions, but the agreement achieved less than Germany had hoped for.

German automakers complain that tougher CO2 limits favor French automakers Renault, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen and Italy’s Fiat that mainly sell smaller cars with low emissions.

Germany also wants a decision to be postponed until after the country’s national elections in September, reports said.

EU diplomats fear such a delay could cause the fragile compromise to fall apart.

The 95g/km of CO2 is equivalent to gasoline use of 4 liters per 100km, 59 U.S. mpg or 71 UK mpg. Supporters say the target would encourage innovation as well as reduce CO2 emissions that are said to contribute to climate change.

Automakers are on target to meet an existing goal of 130g/km phased in between 2012 and 2015.

Each automaker must reach an individual target that takes into account its vehicle fleet and its past cuts. The automakers that fail to meet their targets will face monetary fines.