German cities have power to ban diesel cars to tackle pollution

Germany’s highest administrative court in Leipzig has ruled in favour of upholding bans on diesel vehicles in Stuttgart and Düsseldorf, in a move that means cities across Germany have the right to ban diesel vehicles from their streets to address air pollution issues.

The court ruled in favour of upholding the bans after appeals were lodged by the German states of Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia. The Judges in Leipzig said that German cities can implement bans on older vehicles if they are a last resort to cut pollution, but also that some drivers could get exemptions to avoid disproportionate effects.

German carmakers’ shares fell when the decision was announced. Hamburg said after the decision that it would look to impose a ban on some of its most polluted streets within a number of weeks.

The ruling, which has some ambiguity, was met with delight by clean air campaigners and environmental organisations but dismay by car manufacturers and some business groups. ‘Today’s ruling by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, Germany is a broad reflection on past policies and decision-making, rather than any firm judgement against the future for new diesel technology,’ read a statement from the Diesel Technology Forum.

University of East Anglia Sustainable Energy Business Professor Konstantinos Chalvatzis said: ‘Immediate outright bans of all diesel vehicles from urban roads are unlikely. Cities will have to balance between their citizens who are diesel vehicle owners and those who are concerned about air pollution and would rather see diesel vehicles go. The new court ruling and subsequent bans will further damage desirability of diesel vehicles with prospective owners being rightly concerned about whether they will be able to use them when they need to and about their resale value.’

Germany is one of a number of European countries facing the threat of legal action from the European Commission on its air pollution levels. The world’s second biggest car manufacturer, Germany’s Volkswagen, sparked the ‘dieselgate’ scandal in 2015 when it emerged that the company was gaming emissions tests.