European Parliament stops Dieselgate from happening again

"The public rightly expects us to fix the Dieselgate loopholes." Ivan Štefanec MEP, EPP Group Spokesman on Type Approval

“I am very pleased that after a year of joint efforts and thorough negotiations with Member States we have reached an agreement that will introduce the necessary changes to the introduction of new vehicles on the market. European consumers will have a new functional system with the effective enforcement rules”, said the EPP Group Spokesman.

When it became clear in September 2015 that certain car producers had cheated on emission tests on their diesel cars, allowing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions to go well above the legal limits, EU lawmakers had to take steps to protect EU consumers from a direct threat to their health and the environment. “The EPP Group fought to make sure that the new system's entry-into-force would be smooth and fast”, said Štefanec.

The EPP Group stood up to the initial push by the S&D and Greens/EFA Groups to create yet another supervisory agency that would only have caused more red tape and delayed the new system's entry-into-force.

The new law obliges the Member States and the European Commission to perform market surveillance checks on cars and the Commission to carry out an assessment of the procedures put in place by the national type approval authorities every 5 years.

The new rules also set the limit for validity. Once type-approved, the certificate is valid for 7 years concerning small vehicles and 10 years for trucks.

The new rules, which will make sure that the car you buy is safe and clean, will come into force two years from now, in September 2020. “There is no time to waste, our environment and people’s health is more important”, concluded Ivan Štefanec MEP, who led the negotiations on behalf of the EPP Group.