Environmentalists against car manufacturers – this constellation is currently occupying some courts. Another lawsuit against VW did not begin in the interests of the plaintiffs.
In a climate protection lawsuit against Volkswagen, the Braunschweig district court gave the three plaintiffs supported by Greenpeace little hope for their claims. According to a preliminary legal assessment, the lawsuit is admissible, but should have little chance of success, the presiding judge made clear. In the civil lawsuit, the three plaintiffs want to achieve, among other things, that the car manufacturer is prohibited from selling combustion engines from 2030.
Another goal of the Greenpeace managing directors Roland Hipp and Martin Kaiser as well as the Fridays for Future activist Clara Mayer is to oblige VW to reduce CO2 emissions by 65 percent by 2030 compared to 2018. But there was a damper on this project in the fully occupied Braunschweig courtroom on Tuesday. According to court spokesman Bastian Willers, the plaintiffs, of whom only Kaiser and Mayer came to the start of the trial, argued with their fundamental rights. According to him, however, these apply directly to the relationship between citizens and the state.
Little chance of success for the plaintiffs
The Braunschweig Civil Chamber explained its preliminary assessment with the low chances of success for the plaintiffs. “The peculiarity here is that private individuals are on the plaintiff’s side and a private company is on the defendant’s side,” said court spokesman Willers. In this relationship, fundamental rights would have no direct effect.
Volkswagen was essentially confirmed in its view. “It was a good day, we are very satisfied with the court’s assessment,” said VW lawyer Wolf Spieth. When it comes to implementing climate protection, priority lies with the legislature, and action must be taken there. The court also sees that VW is carrying out a permitted and authorized activity.
The lawyer for the three plaintiffs, Roda Verheyen, announced that she would appeal the verdict. She also did not want to speak of a complete defeat, because the court at least considers the lawsuit to be admissible. “We’re in the middle of a fight and that’s a good thing,” said Verheyen. But what the court said beyond what was admissible was not their legal opinion and was dogmatically wrong. The court wants to announce a decision on January 31st.
Other procedures
Shortly thereafter, similar proceedings are to continue in February at the Detmold district court. With the lawsuit there, farmer Ulf Allhoff-Cramer wants to enforce that VW will stop selling cars and light commercial vehicles with combustion engines in 2030. He came to Braunschweig on Tuesday to provide moral support to the plaintiffs.
In addition to VW, other car manufacturers have seen and still see themselves confronted with climate protection demands in various courts. The German Environmental Aid took action against BMW and Mercedes-Benz, for example. In the dispute with BMW, the Munich Regional Court wants to announce its verdict in February. A similar lawsuit by the club against Mercedes was dismissed by the Stuttgart Regional Court in September.
The EU Parliament and the EU Commission want to ban the approval of new combustion engines from 2035. This does not apply to used cars with classic drives.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
