https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Germany can jail officials for failing to enforce inner-city bans on polluting vehicles, but only under specific legislation that respects proportionality, the European Court of Justice ruled Thursday. https://www.thelocal.de/20191219/germany-can-jail-officials-who-flout-anti-pollution-rulings-eu-co Thu, 19 Dec 2019 15:50:25 +0100 germany-can-jail-officials-who-flout-anti-pollution-rulings-eu-co German prosecutors said Monday they had charged former Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn, and four other managers, over the group's "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal. https://www.thelocal.de/20190415/german-prosecutors-charge-ex-vw-chief-winterkorn-with-fraud Mon, 15 Apr 2019 15:09:22 +0200 german-prosecutors-charge-ex-vw-chief-winterkorn-with-fraud Daimler confirmed Sunday it was facing a regulatory probe after a report said German authorities have uncovered a previously unknown type of pollution trickery software allegedly installed by the car giant in some of its vehicles. https://www.thelocal.de/20190414/germanys-daimler-faces-probe-over-new-cheating-software Sun, 14 Apr 2019 16:27:33 +0200 germanys-daimler-faces-probe-over-new-cheating-software Lawmakers in Germany moved Friday to make bans on older diesel vehicles in city centres less likely, angering environmentalists by backing off strict EU-wide pollution thresholds. https://www.thelocal.de/20190315/diesel Fri, 15 Mar 2019 15:51:51 +0100 diesel Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler could be set for a massive fine in Germany over diesel trickery, as prosecutors confirmed Wednesday they had opened a probe similar to one that cost Volkswagen one billion euros https://www.thelocal.de/20190221/daimler-faces-massive-fine-in-diesel-probe Thu, 21 Feb 2019 10:13:43 +0100 daimler-faces-massive-fine-in-diesel-probe German prosecutors on Monday said they have launched new legal proceedings over Porsche's role in the diesel emissions cheating scandal that erupted in 2015, which could leave the luxury carmaker facing a large fine. https://www.thelocal.de/20190219/porsche-hit-with-new-legal Tue, 19 Feb 2019 09:04:40 +0100 porsche-hit-with-new-legal Hundreds of people demonstrated Saturday in Stuttgart, the bastion of Germany's car industry, against a recent driving ban on older diesels, wearing yellow vests to match protesters in France whose movement began as a reaction to proposed fuel hikes. https://www.thelocal.de/20190203/yellow-vests-hit-german-streets-in-pro-diesel-protest Sun, 03 Feb 2019 12:03:40 +0100 yellow-vests-hit-german-streets-in-pro-diesel-protest German car giant Volkswagen said Friday it sold a record number of vehicles in 2018 even as it felt the sting from US-China trade tensions and problems with European emissions tests in the final months of the year. https://www.thelocal.de/20190111/despite-setbacks-volkswagen-boasts-sales-record-in-2018 Fri, 11 Jan 2019 13:32:51 +0100 despite-setbacks-volkswagen-boasts-sales-record-in-2018 As court disputes and policy debates about diesel pollution continue, the federal government has called on German carmakers to lift their standards to improve their image and win back public confidence. https://www.thelocal.de/20181227/government-calls-upon-diesel-manufacturers-to-up-their-game-in-2019-or-face-consequences Thu, 27 Dec 2018 14:06:20 +0100 government-calls-upon-diesel-manufacturers-to-up-their-game-in-2019-or-face-consequences The German government is setting aside half of a billion euros for the fight against air pollution, as well as implementing diesel bans. https://www.thelocal.de/20181203/german-sets-aside Mon, 03 Dec 2018 16:40:09 +0100 german-sets-aside A battle of words erupted between German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer and EU Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska Thursday, after Brussels cancelled a planned ministerial meeting on diesel when Scheuer said he wouldn't attend. https://www.thelocal.de/20181122/sparks-fly-in-berlin-and-brussels-over-cancelled-diesel-meet Thu, 22 Nov 2018 15:49:15 +0100 sparks-fly-in-berlin-and-brussels-over-cancelled-diesel-meet Efforts by courts to impose diesel driving bans are "self-destructive" and put German prosperity at risk, the transport minister warned Friday, as tempers flared in the battle against urban air pollution. https://www.thelocal.de/20181116/diesel-driving-bans-self-destructive-says-german-transit-minister Fri, 16 Nov 2018 14:32:24 +0100 diesel-driving-bans-self-destructive-says-german-transit-minister The German government will ease air pollution law so as to spare cities that only slightly exceed limits on harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from diesel vehicle bans, ministers agreed Thursday, sparking sharp criticism by environmentalists. https://www.thelocal.de/20181115/germany-eases-diesel-vehicle-bans-angering-environmentalists Thu, 15 Nov 2018 13:43:37 +0100 germany-eases-diesel-vehicle-bans-angering-environmentalists A German court released Tuesday former Audi chief executive Rupert Stadler after months in custody but he remains under suspicion in connection with parent group Volkswagen's role in the "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal. https://www.thelocal.de/20181030/former-audi-boss-released-as-diesel-probe-continues Tue, 30 Oct 2018 17:08:10 +0100 former-audi-boss-released-as-diesel-probe-continues Hamburg, Berlin, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, and now Mainz. On Wednesday October 24th, the Administrative Court in the Rhineland-Palatinate state capital will rule on a possible driving ban on older diesel cars. The case comes amidst a heated political debate on banning diesel cars across Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20181024/court-in-german-city-of-mainz-to-rule-on-ban-for-diesel-cars Wed, 24 Oct 2018 12:15:28 +0200 court-in-german-city-of-mainz-to-rule-on-ban-for-diesel-cars Almost two-thirds of survey respondents think Chancellor Merkel is not doing enough for diesel drivers (65 per cent), with almost three quarters (72 per cent) saying they had zero confidence in the Chancellor’s ability to prevent the driving bans coming into effect. https://www.thelocal.de/20181023/germans-unsatisfied-with-merkels-plan-to-beat-court-ordered-car-bans Tue, 23 Oct 2018 12:04:10 +0200 germans-unsatisfied-with-merkels-plan-to-beat-court-ordered-car-bans Diesel drivers in Berlin faced the prospect of bans from major arterial roads as a court Tuesday ordered the German capital must follow in the footsteps of Hamburg, Frankfurt and Stuttgart with exclusion zones. https://www.thelocal.de/20181009/breaking-court-orders-diesel-ban-on-some-berlin-streets Tue, 09 Oct 2018 17:41:45 +0200 breaking-court-orders-diesel-ban-on-some-berlin-streets German car giant Volkswagen said Tuesday it was removing Rupert Stadler, the chief executive of subsidiary Audi who has been jailed in an emissions fraud probe since June, from his post and the parent group's board. https://www.thelocal.de/20181002/volkswagen-drops-audi-chief-accused-of-diesel-fraud Tue, 02 Oct 2018 19:09:32 +0200 volkswagen-drops-audi-chief-accused-of-diesel-fraud Close to 200,000 owners of older diesel cars will be impacted by a ban on diesel engines in the city centre of Stuttgart that was announced on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20180711/stuttgart-to-bring-in-city-wide-diesel-ban-at-start-of-next-year Wed, 11 Jul 2018 18:32:47 +0200 stuttgart-to-bring-in-city-wide-diesel-ban-at-start-of-next-year Audi chief executive Rupert Stadler was arrested on Monday in connection with parent company Volkswagen's "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal, with prosecutors saying they feared he might try to destroy evidence. https://www.thelocal.de/20180618/audi-boss-arrested-over-diesel-emissions-manipulation Mon, 18 Jun 2018 13:03:41 +0200 audi-boss-arrested-over-diesel-emissions-manipulation