Coalition negotiators consider diesel car hardware retrofitting in treaty draft

Negotiators in the ongoing talks to renew Germany’s grand coalition of conservatives (CDU, CSU) and Social Democrats (SPD) want to avoid inner city driving bans and consider hardware retrofitting for older diesel cars to bring down nitrogen oxide emissions in German cities, reports news agency Reuters. In sections of a coalition treaty draft, seen by the Clean Energy Wire, the would-be coalition partners write that a decision on hardware retrofitting will be taken in 2018. The text says that German mobility policy is committed to help reaching the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement; it will take social considerations into account, as well as safeguard industry’s competitiveness. This will require support for electric mobility, public and rail transport, and more efficient and cleaner combustion engines, including retrofitting, and the continuation of funds from the diesel summit. The coalition partners say they will appoint a commission including actors from politics, business, environmental associations, unions, and affected states and regions that will work out a strategy on the “future of affordable and sustainable transport” including a reliable timeframe by 2019.

Read articles by Reuters on the topic in English here and in German here.

For background on the latest treaty drafts, read CLEW’s coalition watch.

The Clean Energy Wire will publish more information on the transport draft later today.