This petition is organised by the green Members of the European Parliament Keith Taylor (UK), Rebecca Harms and Michael Cramer (DE) and Karima Delli and Pascal Durand (FR).
Petition text
Diesel car emissions are endangering the health of citizens in many cities in Europe. Nevertheless, European laws guarantee a right to clean air. A few cities have already issued a ban on diesel. We need to act now in order to get the air we breathe clean and in order not to have consumers pay the bill for the Diesel scandal. Due to various actions taken in Europe, there is now a real chance to put pressure on the European States and Commission to implement actions that will lead to clean air. We need to push carmakers to finally ensure clean cars.
We demand:
- That the car industry takes responsibility from the Diesel scandal. According to the polluter-pays-principle, the industry has to bear the costs for effective overhauls of dirty diesel cars.
- That the European Commission finally gets active and proposes European solutions for this European problem. We need European-wide effective repair standards for the current diesel fleet as well as a collective redress proposal at EU level.
- To prevent new frauds and guarantee the health of Europeans, Member States should give their green light to effective instruments for inspections and independent market surveillance.
Why is this important?
Since 2007, EU-wide emission limits for diesel vehicles are in place. However, the Diesel scandal revealed two years ago that EU Member States do not meet their obligation to control and also to enforce the compliance with EU law, whenever necessary. The consequence is that diesel vehicles emit five to seven times more nitrogen oxide than allowed. The air that we breathe in many European cities is dangerous to health, particularly for kids and the elderly.
Carmakers have cheated concerning emission limits everywhere in Europe. Infamously, EU Member States like Germany and Austria have relieved the car industry from their responsibility through insubstantial “diesel summits”. By accepting measures that lead only to minimal reductions in emissions, they de facto legalised the breach of European emission limits. Because European standards for air quality can subsequently not be met, bans of diesel cars in cities may be the consequence. The ones to suffer from this, are the consumers and the people whose health is under threat.
National measures alone are not sufficient. We need a European solution to this European problem. Therefore, the European Commission should propose European-wide effective repair standards for the current diesel fleet as well as a collective redress proposal at EU level. Whereas European States should give their green light to effective instruments for inspections and independent market surveillance.
Next step - spread the word
Clean air for all European citizens: EU-wide overhauls of dirty diesel cars now!
