Diesel deal is “big bluff” - opinion

The government’s “huge step” to solve the diesel crisis is no more than a “big bluff,” writes Markus Balser in an editorial in the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The diesel deal falls far short of what is necessary to solve “one of the country’s largest health and environmental problems”, because hardware retrofits could take years and the financing remains unclear, according to Balser. “Three years after the start of the emissions scandal, it has become clear that special rules still apply to the German car industry” with its “undiminished power.” Balser also argues that the big deal could become a dirty deal because the government assumes that old diesel cars swapped against newer ones will continue to run in other countries, where emission limits are less strict.

Read the commentary in German here.

Find background in the article Germany’s ‘huge step’ to solve diesel crisis leaves NGOs unconvinced.