German Report Reveals: EC had knowledge of emission issues

BERLIN: A German business magazine alleged that the European Commission was tipped off as early as 2011 to the emissions discrepancies that have turned into a massive scandal at auto powerhouse Volkswagen. The weekly, WirtschaftsWoche, said that when the commission failed to act, frustrated officials passed the information to the US-based International Council on Clean Transportation which, after its own tests demonstrated that VW diesel cars broke emissions regulations, informed US authorities. The weekly reported that it had seen documents which show that an automotive supplier told the commission as early as 2011 that carmakers were cheating on exhaust controls. The report spurred new controversy, with Green party lawmakers saying it suggested officials had lied to the European parliament. The report comes as Volkswagen continues to reel from revelations that its diesel cars were equipped with software “defeat devices” designed to cheat in emissions tests.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2015.

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