An internal combustion engine with a regulating device, whereby a fuel-air mixture is burned in the internal combustion engine with a combustion air ratio controllable by the regulating device, whereby the regulating device comprises an emission control loop, which is designed to control the charge-air pressure as a substitute variable for the NOx emission by the actuators influencing the charge-air pressure via a functional relationship, such that, for each target power or actual power of the internal combustion engine, a charge-air pressure target value can be set, and whereby the internal combustion engine further comprises a variable valve train, by means of which an operating characteristic of at least one inlet valve can be varied, whereby the functional relationship takes into account the influence of an adjustment of the operating characteristic of the at least one inlet valve.