Frankfurt am Main – “It is time for the automotive industry to set the course for a sustainable transformation. The goal is environmentally and socially responsible mobility. The German automotive industry must be a driving force in this effort and focus its innovative strength on this objective. It is also clear that policymakers must finally fulfill their coordinating role and, together with industry and the unions, present a viable strategic concept for the technological transition—something that has yet to happen,” said Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall, on Monday in reference to the federal government’s “Diesel Summit” on August 2, 2017.
In a joint statement released today, the chairs of the general works councils in the automotive industry and IG Metall demand that the “Diesel Summit” provide an appropriate response from those responsible for the violation of emission limits by diesel vehicles: “It’s not just the damage to the industry’s image that is significant. There is now a threat of driving bans in a number of major cities. We—IG Metall and the general works council chairs of the major automakers and supplier companies—have therefore long demanded that actual fuel consumption and emissions figures be disclosed and used as the starting point for improvements. A transparency initiative by the companies and their associations is necessary.”
At the “Diesel Summit,” IG Metall intends to discuss concrete measures on this issue with politicians and representatives of the automotive industry.
In addition to agreements on retrofitting the existing fleet of diesel vehicles by the automotive industry and establishing reliable and verifiable standards and timelines, it is necessary to quickly implement further measures. These must aim to:
- improved digital traffic management,
- an accelerated phase-out of old vehicles meeting Euro 1 through Euro 4 standards, particularly in municipal fleets, taxis, and commercial transport (“eco-bonus”),
- an expansion of local public transit, and
- an expansion of natural gas refueling stations, as well as the faster adoption of CO2-neutral powertrains and fuels.
The federal and state governments must also work with the automotive industry to agree on effective regulations that can significantly reduce nitrogen oxide pollution in metropolitan areas in the short term.
Overall, coordinated and concerted action by all stakeholders—companies, policymakers, unions, and associations—is required to fulfill their shared responsibility toward consumers and employees.
The future of the automotive industry—a key sector—requires more far-reaching concepts and strategies for a mobility and energy transition. “We call on the next federal government to finally take effective action in this area, together with industry and labor unions,” the statement reads.
