BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The EU Commission does not want to retroactively change regulations on compliance with emission limits for cars, which could lead to the decommissioning of millions of diesel vehicles. According to a letter from EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton to German Transport Minister Volker Wissing, the Brussels authority has no intention of making retroactive changes and imposing additional administrative burdens on car manufacturers. The Commission also does not want to take any further measures "that would in any way disadvantage citizens who have bought cars in good faith". The letter is available to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

FDP politician Wissing had previously warned the EU Commission against the decommissioning of millions of diesel vehicles and demanded clarification in an incendiary letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The background to the debate is a case before the ECJ regarding a so-called preliminary ruling by the Duisburg Regional Court. This also concerns compliance with emission limits for Euro 5 diesel vehicles. Euro 5 is an emissions standard.

EU regulations on pollutant levels

According to EU law, the pollutant values must be complied with under certain conditions (so-called NEDC test). This is done in test centers. As a result of the diesel scandal, emissions tests were also developed under real driving conditions. Such a procedure now also applies to the approval of new vehicle types from the "Euro 6d temp" standard. According to the Commission, the ECJ had already ruled in an earlier judgment that emissions tests should no longer be limited to laboratory tests.

According to Wissing, the EU Commission took the view in the court case that the pollutant limits would apply to every driving situation. This would mean that the limit values would also have to be complied with when driving at full load on an incline - for example, when a fully loaded car drives uphill and emits comparatively more pollutants. According to Wissing, this is not feasible with the current state of technology. All Euro 5 approvals would be called into question. Consequences for vehicles complying with the Euro 6 emissions standard are also not ruled out. "Millions of vehicles are therefore threatened with being taken out of service," said Wissing in his letter.

Decision of the court open

Breton called Wissing's assumption "misleading" in the reply letter he had been asked to send by Commission President von der Leyen. The Commission had merely stated "that the car emission limits must be complied with under normal operating conditions", a spokesperson added. This does not mean every driving situation. The authority had also never changed its position on this issue. Breton wrote: "Without prejudging the outcome of the pending court case, the Commission will continue to call for solutions that promote clean and healthy air and demand a predictable and enforceable legal framework."/rdz/DP/he