‘Dieselgate‘ report will help to wrench car emission rules from industry control

Corporate Europe Observatory welcomed today‘s final inquiry report on the ‘Dieselgate‘ scandal as a first step towards claiming EU emissions regulation back from the car industry.

The report by the European Parliament‘s Committee on Emissions Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS) criticises both the European Commission and member state governments for failing to properly enforce EU car industry regulation. It also points to the corporate capture of emission rule-making as causing long delays in introducing improved emission testing methods.

Corporate Europe Observatory‘s researcher Fabian Hübner said:

“The car industry has steered EU emissions regulation for much too long. But the final ‘Dieselgate‘ report will help to wrench car emission rules from industry control.

“People‘s health must take priority over car manufacturers‘ business interests, and it is the European Commission‘s as well as member states‘ responsibility to ensure that it does. Curbing excessive industry influence at all levels of the policy-making process is the only way to get there.“

Notes to editors:

• For more 'Dieselgate' analysis and the role of corporate capture in the scandal, read our latest report, 'Driving Into Disaster'.

• The European Parliament is expected to adopt the ‘Dieselgate‘ committee‘s inquiry report in its plenary session in April.

• Aside from focusing on redressing corporate capture, the report‘s recommendations also feature provisions for increased transparency throughout the rule-making process for emission regulation, such as mandatory participant lists and minutes for relevant expert groups and comitology bodies to be public.

• During the final vote, committee members failed to adopt several important additions tabled by members from progressive groups, that could have further strengthened the impact of the report, such as:

  • an amendment (25) emphasising car manufacturers‘ hefty resistance against the introduction of new emission testing methods, which set back the work of the Commission‘s advisory group on car emission rules;

  • an amendment (55) highlighting the Commission department for enterprise and industry‘s responsibility for repeatedly postponing the policing of diesel emissions, which delayed new emission testing rules by six years;

  • an amendment (88) underlining that car manufacturers optimised their vehicles only to pass tests, while disregarding the legislators’ intention to reduce toxic diesel fumes and contribute to the EU policy on clean air.

Contact:

Theresa Crysmann, theresa@corporateeurope.org, 0032 289 309 3001