Commission’s decision to appeal top EU court diesel ruling “a mistake”: lawyers say

The European Commission has announced today that it will likely appeal an order from the Court of Justice of the European Union on diesel emissions tests.

The court order had reversed the Commission's decision to allow car manufacturers to exceed emission limits during on-road tests through so-called conformity factors.

Reacting to the statement, ClientEarth lawyer Ugo Taddei said:

"Today's decision to appeal is a mistake that will delay urgent action to protect the health of all Europeans. The appeal will mean the conformity factors remain in force for a long time, despite the Court ruling them to be illegal.

“The decision to appeal also sends a negative message to the public. We are three years into the dieselgate scandal, and the evidence keeps building on the central role car manufacturers are playing in creating the air pollution crisis that is choking our cities. However, the Commission continues to listen more closely to the car industry than to the hundreds of thousands of citizens that want to breathe clean air."