27/02/2018

Court rules on diesel ban

Reuters reports that Germany's federal administrative court has rules that German cities can ban the most heavily polluting diesel cars from their streets. This ruling sets a precedent for other parts of Europe and may push automakers to improve exhaust systems or move towards less polluting vehicles.

The ban will be uncomfortable news for Chancellor Angela Merkel's government who had lobbied against a ban but the ruling was praised by environmentalists but angered right-wing politicians, who said millions of drivers faced de facto expropriation of vehicles they could no longer use.

Paris, Madrid, Mexico City and Athens have said they plan to ban diesel vehicles from city centres by 2025, while the mayor of Copenhagen wants to ban new diesel cars from entering the city as soon as next year.