Angela Merkel has pledged to introduce legislation to stop “disproportionate” bans on diesel cars. The chancellor was speaking ahead of the state election in Hesse, where her CDU is desperate for a good showing.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned it would be “disproportionate” to ban diesel cars in cities where limits on nitrogen emissions are only being marginally exceeded.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin on Sunday evening, Merkel pledged to introduce legislation that would allow car owners to continue driving older diesel vehicles.
Many drivers have been left outraged as a number of major German cities — including Frankfurt, Berlin and Stuttgart — have threatened to limit or ban older diesel engines from their roads.
The chancellor was speaking ahead of this week’s election in the state of Hesse, where her Christian Democrats (CDU) are hoping to make gains in the regional government following a disastrous showing by their sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), in Bavaria earlier this month.
Merkel said diesel car owners should not bear the costs of having their older diesel engines retrofitted with catalytic converters, which would reduce the amount of nitrogen emissions cars produce.