Germany, Italy Object to Central EU Oversight on Emissions

The German and Italian governments are among those that object to a plan to give the European Commission power to directly monitor how EU members handle emission certification for cars made in their countries.

Sources tell Reuters that the three governing blocs involved—EU member legislatures, the European Parliament and the EC—may reach an agreement on new rules tomorrow. The proposed law would enable the EC to audit the state-level authorities that handle approvals now.

But Germany claims in a position paper that “any kind of audit means extra bureaucracy without being beneficial.” Reuters says Italy and seven other member nations also want to weaken the commission’s oversight powers.

Proponents of the measure note that it was regulators in the U.S., not Germany, who discovered in 2015 that Volkswagen had rigged 11 million diesels to cheat on emission tests. After that scandal, one diplomat tells Reuters, “It’s hard to say no” to the proposed law.

Many EU members also complain about the level of on-road testing that would be required. VW’s illegal emission control software enabled diesels to pass certification tests in the laboratory but then switch off pollution equipment under real-world driving conditions. Tests since then have pointed out big gaps in emissions results for several diesel brands between the lab and highway.