Responsibility of EU states to check for ‘defeat’ devices

Defeat devices have been banned in the EU since 2007, but it is up to each member state to check if they are installed to cheat car emission limits, the European Commission has clarified.

The revelations about Volkswagen and other car manufacturers, according to reports from the usually well informed Transport and Environment NGO (T&E) come at a pivotal time in negotiations on new regulations.

T&E says three of the EU’s biggest car manufacturers —Britain, Germany and, France — have been working to ensure new tests can easily be manipulated by car-makers.