Dieselgate: S&Ds tighten controls and ensure consumer compensation for EU citizens

After 12 months and 47 hearings in the Dieselgate inquiry committee, the European Parliament has today drawn lessons from the scandal. The plenary voted both on reports summarising the inquiry committee’s findings and recommendations, and on the first new EU law to prevent emissions cheating in the future. The Socialists and Democrats have taken the lead in tightening up the approval and surveillance of new cars in response to the Dieselgate scandal and in ensuring fair consumer compensation for EU citizens.

Christel Schaldemose, MEP and S&D negotiator on type-approval, said after the vote:

“We have reached a good deal to strengthen the rules of approval for new vehicles on the internal market and to prevent a new Dieselgate scandal. The compromise has a lot of S&D fingerprints. Our Group worked very hard to ensure that stricter harmonised rules, stricter limits on NOx emissions and a more centralised system of control and enforcement will prevent a future car emission scandal.  We succeeded in introducing compensation for citizens that have been misled. It is important to ensure that customers’ rights in the EU are protected.  But this is not the end of the road. We have a difficult task ahead of us in the negotiations with EU governments. We will do our utmost to make sure that member states follow our lead.”

Nicola Danti, MEP and S&D spokesperson on Internal market and consumer protection said:

“After several months, the European Parliament has made a decisive step forward to ensure a common and more reliable EU level playing field for car manufacturers and the competent type-approval authorities, which has to conciliate the interest of consumers whilst ensuring better environmental protection. We agreed on a clearer and more stringent set of rules and controls which finally puts an end to the economic conflict of interests between car manufacturers, type-approval authorities and technical services. As Socialists and Democrats, we cannot accept a new Dieselgate and we will continue fighting to address the failures of the current approval and surveillance system in the interest of our citizens.”

 S&D shadow rapporteur, Christine Revault d'Allonnes Bonnefoy MEP, said:

“We will not allow workers to shoulder the costs for a fraud their bosses committed. Protecting jobs must be a priority and where this is not possible, workers should at least be given access to re-qualification opportunities, for instance in the domain of clean cars. We also want the consumers to be fairly compensated for the loss suffered. That's what is necessary for them to trust the car industry again, and that's what is required to build a more protective Europe.”

“Clean mobility is the future. 90% of all Europeans living in cities are exposed to polluted air. Nearly half a million Europeans die every year prematurely from polluted air. Business as usual is not an option.”

Seb Dance, MEP and S&D spokesperson on Dieselgate, said:

“After 12 months of inquiry into the Dieselgate scandal the verdict is clear: maladministration and negligence by member states and the Commission made widespread fraud in the car industry possible. Member states failed to monitor cars for illegal emissions and turned a blind eye to cheating on tests by Volkswagen and other manufacturers, and the Commission didn't bother to enforce its own legislation, eroding consumer trust in the car industry and putting public health at risk.

“The European Parliament sent a strong signal today: we stand to protect European citizens’ health and their interests as consumers and we will not let governments or industry get away with fraud and maladministration.”