German cities will be allowed to ban older diesels from entering, following a court ruling. Dusseldorf and the car-building city of Stuttgart can now force pre-Euro IV vehicles off the road in a case brought by environmental pressure group Deutche Umwelthilfe (DUH).
The Federal Government has opposed the move, leading commentators to criticise how close it is to the domestic car industry. The decision from the Federal Administrative Court comes after a legal challenge to the case was mounted by German states.
Presiding Judge Andreas Korbmacher wanted to deliberate the issue ‘very thoroughly’ and delayed reaching a verdict for several days.
Analysts believe that the ruling will set a precedent across other cities in Europe, though many French cities already have ‘CritAir’ that restrict pre-Euro IV vehicles and the UK has various Low Emission zones, which vary in size and restriction, but have a similar aim to the French system.
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