EU Rejects Bid to Clarify Diesel Emission Tests

The European Union has opted not to adopt new legislation to dictate how its members certify emissions from diesel-powered vehicles.

Germany’s transport minister had called for clarification about exceptions that permit diesels to limit or switch off emission controls under driving conditions that otherwise would damage the engine. Investigations show carmakers have abused the allowance by allowing their diesels to exceed emission levels under a broad range of circumstances.

But Industry Minister Elzbieta Bienkowska says the blame belongs with national regulatory agencies, which have ignored cheaters. “The law,” she told a meeting of transport ministers earlier today, “is clear enough.”

Observers note the debate highlights weakness in the current system used by the EU to determine emission compliance. The EU has a single set of emission limits for its 28 members. Yet compliance is determined at the national level. For example, France certifies vehicles manufactured within its borders, and those cars are then approved for sale throughout the region.

The European Commission has proposed a new approach that would give it power to retest cars previously approved for sale by a member nation. If the commission discovers a problem, it could ban the sale of noncompliant vehicles and impose fines on carmakers of as much as €30,000 ($34,100) per affected vehicle sold.