EU regulators will propose a series of major changes in the new car type approval legislation in order to prevent a repetition of the VW emissions scandal.
The proposal will signal the start of a long debate between countries-members of the European Union and the automotive industry.
The first draft of this proposal, seen by Reuters, states that the EU will have "oversight over national bodies currently responsible for the approval of new cars and the ability to impose fines for non-compliance".
It is also going to allow individual countries to recall a car approved by any of the EU’s other nations if it’s found non-compliant with official with its type approval. This radical change comes as a reaction to the Volkswagen emissions scandal which went public last September in the US and then became global.
“In the aftermath of the outburst of this scandal, strong calls have been made to the Commission to reinforce the type approval system, in particular by ensuring adequate supervisory mechanisms”, the Commission states in the draft.
“Substantial divergences in the interpretation and application of the rules entail the risk of undermining the effectiveness of the system, and therefore the main policy objectives of ensuring the safety and health of citizens and the protection of the environment.”
So far, national organizations like Germany’s KBA had the authority of issuing, however, also revoking, type approvals for new cars despite the fact that these cars were sold across the EU. The Commission wants to change that with their proposal, their draft though doesn’t include the creation of an independent EU controled regulator.
EU’s proposed greater jurisdiction on the automotive industry will most likely be opposed not just from automakers however, also countries like the Euro-sceptic United Kingdom and Germany, which has repeatedly intervened in the EU legislation to win concessions for its automotive industry.