Merkel: Neither customers, nor taxpayers can be made accountable for auto industry’s “serious mistakes”

“As far as possible,” German carmakers themselves have to put right the “serious mistakes” made during the diesel crisis, said Chancellor Angela Merkel after a two-day cabinet retreat in Meseberg near Berlin. “The customer or taxpayer cannot be made accountable for that,” said Merkel. She did not directly comment on reports that Germany is mulling a joint fund with carmakers to pay for diesel car hardware refits, but said that “the benefits and costs must be proportionate. Hardware refits are relatively cost-intensive.” The government is still waiting for expert reports on hardware refits, and bets on “individual measures that spare citizens” as much as possible, instead of driving bans or a blue badge, Merkel said.

Read a Reuters article on the topic in English here.

For background, read the CLEW article Court ruling opens door for diesel bans in German cities and the factsheet Diesel driving bans in Germany – The Q&A.