Climate Cabinet: Volkswagen promotes certificate trading with CO₂ pricing and stronger promotion of electric mobility. ...

In the run-up to the decisions of the Climate Cabinet of the Federal Government, the Volkswagen Group has spoken out clearly in favour of trading certificates to price CO₂ exhaust gases in order to reduce emissions of the climate-damaging carbon dioxide. On Wednesday, Thomas Steg, General Representative of the Volkswagen Group for External Relations, explained the advantage of certificates, among other things, with the fact that the amount of carbon dioxide emitted could be better controlled with them. With certificates or emissions trading, the CO₂ emissions of plants subject to emissions trading are limited to a total quantity and issued in the form of tradable rights. The lower the emissions, the more economical for a company. The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) had already advocated certificate trading as the best choice for reducing CO₂ emissions.

Volkswagen, on the other hand, is sceptical about a tax as a surcharge on the price of petrol and diesel. 'Everyone has followed the development of the yellow vests in France,' said Thomas Steg in Wolfsburg, referring to rising fuel prices. A direct levy could raise these prices by almost eight to eleven cents per litre. However, he had the impression that the federal government wanted to proceed cautiously. Steg added that in the case of a direct price premium on petrol and diesel, it was also uncertain whether the price increase would at all bring about the desired change in drivers' behaviour.