EU to Introduce Improved Emissions Tests From September 1 - Commission

The European Union will carry out more accurate emissions tests for new car models in real driving conditions before they can be driven in the bloc as a response to so-called "diesel scandal" connected with the use of devices manipulating data about emissions from diesel vehicles, the European Commission said in a press release on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — "The new emissions tests are a milestone in our ongoing work for cleaner and more sustainable cars over the coming years. But more remains to be done. The emissions scandal has shown that we need more independence in car testing, stronger market surveillance and the possibility for the Commission to intervene in case of wrongdoing," European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen was quoted as saying in the press release.

The press release added that the new mandatory tests would provide more reliable results, and served as the first step to ensure both clean and competitive car industry in the bloc.

In September 2015, the Volkswagen Group, which owns 19 car brands, including Audi and Mercedes-Benz, faced a public emissions scandal when the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accused the automaker of using specific software to falsify emission test results for its diesel-engine cars. Millions of diesel-engine Volkswagen vehicles manufactured between 2009 and 2015 were estimated to have been programmed to cheat emissions tests for nitrogen oxide. Volkswagen admitted that 11 million of its vehicles worldwide had been fitted with this test-cheating software.