In Fake Dispute, Germany Calls Out the EU for an Alleged Diesel Ban

Of course, this happened a day after Brussels™ disputed the allegation--now, all we need to do is await the EU Court's decision, scheduled for November 2024

Another weekend, more political and media spin = crap thrown our way.

Translation and emphases mine, as are the bottom lines.

Sigh.

---

Loss of Vehicle Registration Threatens in the EU/EEC

The EU wants to enforce the ban on combustion engines by any means necessary. An upcoming court ruling plays into its hands, as the judgement would easily remove millions of diesel vehicles from the roads. The massive loss of confidence is being accepted.

An op-ed by Sebastian Viehmann, Focus, 3 Aug. 2024 [source]

The diesel scandal [a.k.a. Volkswagen emissions scandal] has actually long been history. The names of the perpetrators are known, the mixture of criminal fraud, especially by the Volkswagen Group, and negligent authorities led to numerous lawsuits and also compensation—which, however, was significantly higher in the USA than for German customers. In the USA, where ‘Dieselgate’ was uncovered, the scandal has been dealt with years ago and is no longer an issue.

In the US, the Emissions Scandal is History

In many European countries, too, the issue is actually history. Apart from a few after-effects, such as the driving bans on diesel cars in German cities, most of which have long since been lifted. Older diesel vehicles have either had their emissions reduced by means of software updates [which typically renders engines less efficient, hence the advantages of diesel engines over gasoline engines are a wee bit in doubt] or have disappeared from the roads due to their age, while more and more modern combustion engines and, of course, electric cars are on the road. Even the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina was unsure whether diesel driving bans ever made sense [go figure].

EU Court Poised to Sweep Millions of Diesel Cars Off the Road

But now the electric car lobby is popping champagne corks, because an EU ruling due in November could well help solve its biggest problem—the current slump in sales in many countries, including Germany: millions of Euro 5 and older Euro 6 diesel vehicles are threatened to loose their vehicle registration. This does not require driving bans, but a court judgement, which is expected in November. As the Ministry of Transportation has now learnt from Brussels, this will stipulate the following in simplified terms: Diesel vehicles that were properly registered according to the old NEDC cycle will have their licences withdrawn retroactively because they do not comply with the regulations that only apply after their registration [we should therefore also tax future generations for good measure, to say nothing about pre-crime outfits]. This is because they have become much stricter with the more modern WLTP cycle. If you want to find out more about the topic beyond the misleading claims of green NGOs such as Deutsche Umwelthilfe—which, as is well known, has itself tried to collect two million euros with an anti-diesel campaign—you will find some interesting background information on the development of the legislation in a column by emissions expert Professor Thomas Koch .

Diesel Bread is Out? Eat Electric Cake!

4.3 million Euro 5 diesel cars alone are threatened with a decommissioning order from the Federal Motor Transport Authority in 2025 and thus a complete loss of value. That would be a bit like Minister Robert Habeck ordering a new heating ban, which would not only ban new oil and gas heating systems, but also order the immediate decommissioning of all heating systems by retroactively withdrawing their operating licence. If you don’t want to freeze in winter, you would have had to install a heat pump earlier. This is reminiscent of the famous quote that was put into Marie Antoinette's mouth: ‘The people have no more bread? Let them eat cake!’ [that’s a hoax, by the way]. And it doesn’t get cold in winter, it just gets less warm.

The EU is Throwing Away the Trust of Millions of Motorists

Apart from the fact that a mass decommissioning of diesel vehicles is likely to end in absolute chaos in organisational terms [I am wondering if this pending judgement also applies to trucks and farm equipment (both of which run on diesel) because, if so, that doesn’t just mean chaos—it means massive losses in agricultural output, which translates into: famine], the announcement of the ruling alone will lead to considerable shifts: old diesel vehicles are likely to fall significantly in value, while newer ones from the Euro 6-d emissions standard onwards will be in high demand. This is because the majority of Germans still do not want to go along with the politically imposed shift towards e-mobility.

The fact that the EU is even considering using legal tricks to rob millions of motorists of their mobility shows how incredibly out of touch the institutions in Brussels and the like have become. In any case, the loss of trust in European politics would be enormous and the election results of the last EU elections are probably just a foretaste. If the EU does not slowly begin its landing approach in the direction of people’s reality instead of continuing to shoot itself down in its eco-spaceship towards a ‘greener’, preferably completely car-free planet, then we should not be surprised at growing disenchantment with politics.

---

Bottom Lines

A lot of this is a farce. According to numerous media outlets, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton had actually refuted the notion floated by German Transportation Minister Volker Wissing. Here’s a bit from marketscreener.com, dated 2 Aug. 2024 (i.e., a date before the above op-ed went live):

The EU Commission does not want to retroactively change regulations on compliance with emission limits for cars, which could lead to the decommissioning of millions of diesel vehicles. According to a letter from EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton to German Transport Minister Volker Wissing, the Brussels authority has no intention of making retroactive changes and imposing additional administrative burdens on car manufacturers. The Commission also does not want to take any further measures ‘that would in any way disadvantage citizens who have bought cars in good faith’. The letter is available to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur…

Breton called Wissing’s assumption ‘misleading’ in the reply letter he had been asked to send by Commission President von der Leyen. The Commission had merely stated ‘that the car emission limits must be complied with under normal operating conditions’, a spokesperson added. This does not mean every driving situation. The authority [sic, meant is the EU Commission] had also never changed its position on this issue. Breton wrote: ‘Without prejudging the outcome of the pending court case, the Commission will continue to call for solutions that promote clean and healthy air and demand a predictable and enforceable legal framework.’

We’re talking about vehicles that were sold between 2011 and 2018 and are registered according to the older—i.e., pre-‘Dieselgate’—test procedures. Of course, motorist interest groups are arguing against retroactive changes on grounds of their inadmissibility and problematic nature in terms of the rule of law.

We note, in passing, that the EU Commission doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the law; they care about the ‘rule’ part only.

Remember, according to the EU itself,

every action taken by the EU is founded on treaties…

These binding agreements between EU member countries set out EU objectives, rules for EU institutions, how decisions are made and the relationship between the EU and its members.

Treaties are the starting point for EU law and are known in the EU as primary law.

The body of law that comes from the principles and objectives of the treaties is known as secondary law; and includes regulations, directives, decisions, recommendations and opinions.

Also, let’s note this for posterity: the outcry right now about the upcoming EU Court decision is part of the same kabuki theatre that also characterises the PR mudfest.

Disavowals and refusals being one thing, and, of course, stern commentary that the EU ‘would never do so’ are part of the game. If they don’t decommission ‘older’ diesel cars this time around, they’ll do so at a later point, perhaps ‘even’ without a court (sic) ruling.

Remember the pre-ethanol-added gasoline era, by the way? Earlier this year, a new version of ‘regular’ 98 gasoline was introduced. Named ‘E10’ (which means gasoline now contains 10% of ethanol, which is misleadingly labelled a ‘biofuel’). Typically, cars built from late 2011 onwards may continue to run with E10 gasoline, while older ones can’t (because the ethanol damages insulation seals and rubber hoses).

None of this was done due to parliamentary acts, court rulings, or the like. Don’t take it from me, here’s an excerpt from the BBC (of all places):

E10 will help reduce the overall quantity of fossil fuels needed to power the UK's cars.

It comes as the government announced a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, as part of its climate-change targets…

How green is this really?

That’s a matter of some debate [doh].

Ethanol is seen [by whom?] as a carbon-neutral fuel, since the plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air while they are growing, offsetting the CO2 emitted when the fuel is burnt.

However, no-one is quite sure whether the two really cancel each other out.

And some people have moral objections to using food crops to produce fuels.

They say it could cause food shortages or increases in food prices.

Perhaps the last items are the plan?

In any way, shape, or form, let’s not forget that all trucks run on diesel; the same is true for other heavy machinery, such as harvesters, tractors, and the like.

In other words: any so slight change to diesel fuel regulations is highly likely going to affect food production and logistics in a myriad ways that none of these pieces mention.

Is there any solution at-all?

Well, fewer one-size-fits-all decisions by removed, de facto-federal institutions like the EU Commission would be a starter.

Local food production, incl. one’s backyard or window sills, is a good idea.

And: don’t trust the boilerplate crap spouted by the likes of gov’t ministers, EU commissioners, or legacy media.