Court Rules German Cities Can Start Banning Diesel Cars Immediately

Cities in Germany can immediately start banning older diesel vehicles from their streets, Reuters reports.

The country’s top administrative court confirmed the news on Friday, shortly after the European Commission lodged a complaint against Germany for its failure to protect air quality in its cities.

A plethora of cities throughout the country, including Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart, have nitrogen oxide levels that exceed European Union limits.

The bans have been in the works for over two years

In a statement made on Friday, Germany’s administrative court in Leipzig said consumers have to accept the bans.

“Such restrictions, in their intensity, do not go beyond other passage and stopping bans as justified by road law requirements, which motorists always have to reckon with and which they principally have to accept.”

If cities choose so, they can ban any diesel vehicle that doesn’t comply with the latest Euro-6 emissions standards on major roads or road sections. Just 2.7 million of the 15 million diesel cars in Germany have Euro-6 technology. In certain cities, the court has recommended a phased introduction of the bans, starting with Euro-4 vehicles.

The court asserts that Euro-5 vehicles shouldn’t be banned until September 1, 2019 and that certain motorists, including tradesmen, should be exempted.

Hamburg has already started erecting signs to enforce the diesel ban.