Car exhaust
(BRUSSELS) – Six years after the ‘Dieselgate’ scandal, the EU Commission called on German car manufacturer Volkswagen Tuesday to compensate EU consumers for having misled them over vehicles’ emission standards.
The Commission and EU consumer authorities consider that Volkswagen’s commercial practices violate EU consumer protection law as regards the marketing of diesel cars equipped with illegal systems. They also state that the marketing of such diesel cars was a clear instance of a misleading practice banned in the EU.
Six years after the ‘Dieselgate’ scandal broke, not all consumers have been compensated, said the EU’s Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders. Despite court rulings which exposed Volkswagen’s “unfair treatment of consumers”, he said the car maker “is not willing to work with consumer organisations to find appropriate solutions for consumers.”
To date, Volkswagen has only agreed to compensate EU consumers residing in Germany at the time of the car purchase. The German car manufacturer has informed the Commission and authorities of its view that voluntary payments to European consumers residing outside Germany were not justified since the affected cars have now been altered to meet legal requirements.
The company’s position has remained unchanged despite recent EU and national court decisions which is why the Commission and EU consumer authorities are mounting the pressure.
The letter in which Commissioner Reynders’ asked Volkswagen for compensation in 2020 is available here.
