Sparks fly in Berlin and Brussels over cancelled diesel meet

A battle of words erupted between German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer and EU Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska Thursday, after Brussels cancelled a planned ministerial meeting on diesel when Scheuer said he wouldn't attend.

It was "pointless" to hold a meeting on the increasingly unpopular fuel without Europe's largest car-manufacturing country present, Bienkowska told business newspaper Handelsblatt, adding that Scheuer's cancellation was "disappointing".

In Berlin, the German minister said a diary clash he had let Brussels know about long in advance held him back from attending.

"I didn't know anything about this diesel summit... we can keep talking about diesel in Europe, just on a different day," Scheuer said in a video uploaded by the transport ministry.

In a statement, the Commission said that given few ministers planned to attend, the meeting would be "conducted at a technical, services level, with a similar agenda".

Politicians across Europe fear the proliferation of planned or already implemented driving bans for older diesels in cities, put into place to clean up polluted air of harmful fine particles and gaseous nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Under pressure from the Commission, Berlin presented a "diesel plan" in early October supposed to satisfy air quality concerns while limiting driving bans, which are widely resented by drivers.

It calls for trade-in bonuses for older diesels or hardware refits to bring them up to the latest emissions standards -- with the former option the clear preference of the auto industry, a vital sector for Germany that employs 800,000 people.

Governments and the Commission are also looking to promote alternatives to the internal combustion engine, as the EU aims to slash carbon dioxide emissions from cars 40 percent by 2030.

Related Links
Car Technology at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Volkswagen to spend 44 bn euros on 'electric offensive'
Wolfsburg, Germany (AFP) Nov 16, 2018
German auto giant Volkswagen said Friday it will invest 44 billion euros by 2023 in the smarter, greener cars of the future as it ramps up efforts to shake off the "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal. Over the coming five years, VW said it aims to spend "almost 44 billion euros" ($50 billion) on electric, self-driving and connected cars as well as mobility services like car sharing. The figure represents roughly a third of the group's planned expenditure between now and 2023, and the bulk of ... read more