The Federal government has agreed on a timetable for the implementation of the Diesel concept. Chancellery chief Helge Braun spoke of “ambitious deadlines”, in which effective measures to improve air quality implemented in the cities and driving bans for older Diesel should be avoided. However, the Diesel Plan that was adopted on Wednesday by the Federal Cabinet has two decisive weaknesses.
work Around in many cities, the threat of travel bans, to prepare the Federal Ministry of transport “immediately to the legal and technical requirements for the use of retrofits” of engines of Euro-5 diesel engines, to provide exemptions from traffic restrictions. “The measures are to be set as soon as possible at the beginning of the year 2019 in force”, – stated in a position paper of the Federal government, which is the WORLD.
time is of The essence, because after several cities, most recently in Frankfurt and Berlin, must now ban Mainz driving for older diesel vehicles to consider. It needs to 1. September 2019 come in the first six months of 2019, the limit value for nitrogen oxides (NOx) would be exceeded, decided by the administrative court of Mainz.
That retrofits of diesel engines to be written, was, primarily, the SPD is important. The CSU had refused, until now. “The Federal government has today decided, under pressure from the SPD to a timetable for the submission of the legal requirements for the technical retrofitting for diesel vehicles”, – said the Deputy Chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, Sören Bartol. “Federal transport Minister Andreas Scheuer can’t play on time, and the implementation of the decisions of the coalition Committee for technical retrofit procrastinate.”
manufacturers for Euro 5 retrofit numbers
Previously, there had been between CSU and the SPD have different ideas about what action is to be decided by the coalition against driving bans as a priority. Minister Scheuer had insisted, that in the Cabinet meeting this Wednesday, first of all, derogations for Euro-4 and Euro-5 Diesel to be determined. They should also be allowed at existing driving bans in the cities, if they emit less than 270 milligrams of NOx per kilometre. This would have to be in the majority of cases, the engines upgraded. However, the Ministry of transport wanted to set the action for the tags in more Detail later.
Because the main problem with the retrofits is still not resolved: Namely, the question of who bears the costs. This is a weak point of the Diesel Plan. “The government expects that the costs for Hardware retrofits of Euro-5 Diesel passenger Cars for the most affected vehicle owners of the respective automotive incorporated manufacturers including the installation”, – stated in the white paper. The coalition knows that you can’t force the manufacturer to do so. It is the legal basis for it.
As the Chancellery chief brown stayed with the presentation of the Plan to nothing more than the appeal to the auto industry’s “lost confidence”. No mention of brown was that most of the cars would now need to be retrofitted, are not equipped with a cheating software, but legally valid Types of licenses. This means that cars that emit more nitrogen oxides, as provided for in the limits, could only come because of the laws in the road traffic.
The Cabinet also agreed that the cities can dispense with Exceedances of the limit value of 40 micrograms of NOx per cubic meter on average per year, restricted zones for Diesel. Driving bans are supposed to come “in the rule, for reasons of proportionality, only in the areas considered, in which the value of 50 micro-grams has been exceeded”, – stated in the white paper. Euro-6 Diesel will be exempted from the restrictions.
is Open, however, whether the arbitrary of the Federal government’s target of 50 micro-grams before the administrative courts, and after further complaints of the German environmental aid (DUH). This is a weak point number two of the Diesel Plan. The German environmental aid (DUH) that it is massively to the fact that bans need to be in all the towns and cities imposed, in which the limit values are exceeded. “Municipalities with limit values below 50 micrograms, the possibility of a driving ban is illegal and violates EU law. The courts will not hold,“ said DUH-chief Jürgen Resch over the WORLD.
Bouffier makes Frankfurt the “intensive city”
In Mainz, Germany, was the annual average for NOx in the past year to an average of 48 micrograms. According to the plans of the Federal government, which wants to change the Federal Immission protection act, would need to Mainz impose no ban on driving. This could push cities, the lure just above the mark of 50 micro gram to to to be also the driving ban freed. Bochum and Ludwigsburg had in 2017, for example, an annual mean of 51 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
municipalities, which the mark of 50 micro-grams is exceeded, are considered to be “intense cities”, which received a special grant program for air compliance. There have been 14 of these intensive cities. According to a letter to the Prime Minister of Hesse, Volker Bouffier, among other things, to the Chancellery chief brown from the 10. October, is now one of Frankfurt to the cities with special promotion.
In the Letter, the WORLD, said Bouffier, by itself, indicate that the air in Frankfurt was worse than previously calculated and a measuring point in the medium even at 54 micrograms deck. In the state of Hesse is elected on the weekend a new Parliament. For this reason, incumbent Bouffier, the largest city in the country, the administrative court already has imposed a driving ban is trying to secure the widest possible support program.
