International

I’ll be taking part, on behalf of the United Left Group (GUE-NGL) in the European Parliament, to which the SP is affiliated, in a hearing of the committee charged with investigating “Dieselgate”, the affair involving fraudulent software employed by certain car companies to disguise the true extent of their products’ CO2 emissions. Amongst those whom we will be interrogating will be former European Commissioner Günter Verheugen. This German politician has close links to the auto industry and it was under his reign that the unclear legislation was enacted which made the dodgy software possible. In his answers to our written questions Verheugen denies that the legislation was obscure. It was, he says, perfectly clear. Yet if that was the case, then the car manufacturers have still been involved in illegal activity. So won’t they have to compensate European Union for past damage consumers who bought their cars, as they have had to do in the United States? Is Verheugen indeed going to drop his old car chums in it, just to keep his own nose clean? I’m curious to find out.

Dieselgate began when it became known that Volkswagen had installed software in diesel-powered cars which ensured that while techniques used in test conditions would give a relatively low reading for emissions of CO2, real emissions during actual driving would be higher. Because of this diesel-powered cars emit in practice far more CO2 than is indicated in the official figures, which are invariably based on test conditions. Bad for the environment, bad for public health and bad for those who purchased the cars. Now that the fraudulent software has come to light, their cars are worth less than would have been the case and they are also required to pay higher taxes and are banned from entering certain environmentally sensitive zones.

Verheugen was happy to take the advice of the auto industry. In a special working group called CARS21, all legislation and regulation which car manufacturers found burdensome was held up to scrutiny. In Verheugen’s time legislation governing the norms for emissions from diesel-powered vehicles was also adopted. Naturally the working group sat in the front row with the car manufacturers when it came to shaping and realising this legislation. Even when his fellow Commissioner - responsible for environmental policy - drew Verheugen’s attention to the discrepancy between emissions under test conditions and the actual emissions on the highway, he did not feel the need to tighten up the legislation. The dodgy software could thus continue to be employed for years, without anyone objecting to it. Verheugen clearly didn’t want to let his chums down.

No wonder that Verheugen had initially no interest in appearing before the European Parliament, Under heavy pressure, however, he eventually agreed. It promises to be amongst the most exciting hearings. Either Verheugen will admit that he was taken in by the auto lobby, or he will stick to his stated opinion that the relevant legislation was well constructed. But if that’s true, then there’s no truth in the argument of Volkswagen and other car manufacturers that their fraudulent software stayed within the law. That would give a sound basis for claims against these manufacturers from consumers. I’m curious to see how Verheugen proposes to try to argue his way out of this lose-lose situation this Tuesday.