EP approves new rules on vehicle inspections

The European Parliament on Thursday backed new rules on the inspection system for vehicles in order to guarantee uniform application of checks throughout the European Union (EU) in a bid to avoid another "DieselGate" scandal.

The new regulation, adopted overwhelmingly by 547 votes in favor, to 83 against, with 16 abstentions, still needs to be formally approved by the European Council. It supervises the manner in which tested vehicles are sold and checked in the EU, and clarifies the responsibilities of national authorities.

In September 2015, American authorities charged the German group Volkswagen, which was forced to admit having illegally tampered with emissions testing results for more than 11 million vehicles in the United States. This momentous scandal, known as "DieselGate," cast suspicion on the whole of the car industry.

According to the new EU rules, which will enter into force on Sept. 1, 2020, each member state of the bloc will be obliged to administer, every year, a minimum number of vehicle checks, with at least one check for every 40,000 new motor vehicles registered in the country in the year prior. At least 20 percent of these tests must deal with emissions, except in the nations where the number of vehicle registrations is very low.

"This is a strong Europe-wide response to the 'Dieselgate'scandal," said European Parliament rapporteur on the text Daniel Dalton (European Conservatives and Reformists group, United Kingdom).

"This legislation will make cars safer and cleaner and, combined with the Real Driving Emissions testing, will ensure that a future 'Dieselgate' can't happen again," he said.

"It delivers for car owners, for the environment and for manufacturers, with standards fairly applied and appropriately applied across the board," Dalton added.

This legislation introduces a new series of tests to ensure that vehicles respect the emissions limits throughout the duration of their lives. Test centers (called "technical services") will be regularly and independently audited.

According to the text, the European Commission will also make tests and inspections of vehicles in order to verify compliance, but also to launch reminders on a European level, and to inflict administrative fines of up to 30,000 euros on car makers for each vehicle out of compliance.