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Seven countries targeted by EU for inaction against Volkswagen

The European Union has taken legal action against seven countries, including Britain, because they have not yet penalized the automaker for hiding emissions levels in their vehicles.

By Stephen Feller
Seven European nations have been charged by EU regulators with either taking no action against Volkswagen for installing devices to hide true emissions levels in their vehicles, or having no regulatory or punitive structure from which to dole out a punishment. The countries have two months to respond to the regulators before the EU can take their governments to court. File photo by Molly Riley/UPI
Seven European nations have been charged by EU regulators with either taking no action against Volkswagen for installing devices to hide true emissions levels in their vehicles, or having no regulatory or punitive structure from which to dole out a punishment. The countries have two months to respond to the regulators before the EU can take their governments to court. File photo by Molly Riley/UPI | License Photo

BRUSSELS, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The European Union on Thursday took legal action against seven countries for not penalizing Volkswagen for hiding emissions levels in its cars, four of which took no punitive action against the country and three that don't even have regulations in place to do so.

The EU accused Britain, Germany, Spain and Luxembourg of failing to fine or punish Volkswagen for installing devices in their vehicles which disguised their emissions, while the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Greece don't even have regulatory structures to determine and distribute punishments for the action.

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The seven countries have two months to respond to EU regulators on the charges, or risk drawing another warning from the EU and being brought to court over their inaction.

"Abiding by the law is first and foremost the duty of car manufacturers,"said EU Internal Market Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska. "But national authorities across the EU must ensure that car manufacturers actually comply with the law."

Volkswagen has racked up tens of billions of dollars in fines in the United States since U.S. regulators discovered the company's vehicles were equipped with a device allowing them to cheat emissions tests, violating several regulations and bluffing consumers into thinking they were getting better performance from their cars.

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Regulators in Britain and Germany acknowledged the cheating but have not issued any fines or penalties to the company. Spain and Luxembourg, however, say they are still investigating the scandal.

The lack of methods of penalty for breaking the emissions rules -- building vehicles that conform to regulations, and then including software and devices in the vehicles to properly measure their emissions -- is among the biggest objections EU regulators have to the lack of punishment for Volkswagen.

The EU is "finally waking up after the dieselgate scandal," said Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, a member of the European Parliament. "It is high time to protect European consumers, fine illegal actions and start mandatory recalls of highly polluting vehicles."

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