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‘Diesel Summit’ Deal Only Makes Car Industry Comply With Existing Law - NGO

© AFP 2023 / AXEL SCHMIDT/POOLParticipants have taken seat to attend a so-called diesel summit on August 2, 2017 in Berlin
Participants have taken seat to attend a so-called diesel summit on August 2, 2017 in Berlin - Sputnik International
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The outcome of the so-called diesel summit in Berlin is "ridiculous" as it only obliges German car manufacturers to follow the existing legislation while the state should push for a zero emission quota, the president of Energy Watch Group, Hans-Josef Fell, told Sputnik.

Opel Astra compacts manufactured at the General Motors plant in the Shushary-2 production zone - Sputnik International
Opel Vows to Support 'Diesel Summit' Deal on Vehicle Update to Cut Emissions
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The summit took place in Berlin on Wednesday to discuss pollution from diesel vehicles, two years after the industry was first hit by a scandal that exposed cheating to manipulate emissions tests. During the summit, German car manufactures agreed that over five million diesel vehicles would receive a software update to facilitate the reduction of emissions. The update will concern the European Union's Euro 5 emissions standard vehicles and some in the Euro 6 category.

"The German government protected all the past years German car manufactures… from stronger emission limits, in air pollution as well as in CO2 emissions… The outcome of the summit speaks for itself: the car manufactures must only convert the software to a level, what the law regulation is. This is ridiculous, they should do it anyway, because it is law," Fell said.

The president stressed that a zero emission quota was the only appropriate deal between the government and auto manufacturers to ensure cleaner diesel cars.

A motor mechanic measures exhaust emissions in a diesel-engined car in Eichenau, Germany July 28, 2017 - Sputnik International
German Car Manufacturers Agree to Update Software for 5Mln Diesel Cars
"The target should be zero emission car quota, like China will do it, to force the companies to strengthen their innovation and market introduction for emission free cars: Electric-cars, hydrogen cars and even diesel cars but only with sustainable biofuels, combined with best filter technologies," Fell said noting that a lower emission limit would not suffice.

The president added that the government must strengthen public control over the issue and severely punish those who used fraudulent software to lower emission levels.

The German carmakers have faced a number of allegations on attempting to circumvent emission regulations. In July, the Spiegel magazine reported that Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, BMW, and Daimler, as well as other leading German automakers, coordinated their actions on designing diesel emissions treatment systems in diesel vehicles. Volkswagen has been embroiled in a controversy over cheating emission software for several years.

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