By Corporate Europe Observatory – Today,
the European Parliament Committee on Emissions Measurements in the
Automotive Sector (EMIS) votes on its final inquiry report on the
‘Dieselgate’ scandal. The committee was formed in 2015 after car maker
Volkswagen had been shown to have systematically cheated during
emissions testing. Its report highlights just how widespread emissions
cheating has been among manufacturers, and recommends action points for
curbing excessive car industry influence over emissions regulations.
Corporate capture at the root of the problem
With maladministration[i]
by the European Commission and Member States at the centre of its
conclusions, the report points to corporate capture of emissions
regulation as a root cause of the scandal.
Not only did the Commission allow for an overrepresentation of the
car industry in its advisory group on stricter emission testing, but
also failed to guarantee full transparency of the group’s meetings, as
several sessions concluded without any minutes having been taken. The
EMIS report also calls attention to the fact that this, aside from
constituting maladministration, was also in breach of the Commission’s
own rules for advisory groups.
