The court in Leipzig could ban diesel vehicles on Thursday

The Administrative Court in Leipzig is making a decision this week regarding the possibility of banning the circulation of vehicles with diesel engines, which could result in a ban on traffic for about 15 million diesel cars in most German cities.

On Thursday, a decision will be made regarding the cities of Stuttgart and Duesseldorf, where the German Environmental Aid (DUH) aims to achieve a ban on diesel vehicles, which are the main contributors to high concentrations of nitrogen oxides in these cities, but the decision will also apply to other affected cities.

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Local courts have partially ruled in favor of DUH in both cases, but the cities before the Administrative Court want to clarify the legal basis for a potential traffic ban.

The Minister of Transport of the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Winfried Hermann (Greens), explained to AFP that this concerns competencies, as it is unclear how a federal state must react in the case of excessive air pollution in cities.

Bans are inevitable

– It is unclear whether it can impose a ban or must impose a ban on the circulation of diesel cars, Hermann explains the situation in which, if the court decides that cities can impose a ban, it is not entirely clear what that means for the states.

Automotive industry expert from the CAR research center, Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, believes that traffic bans for all diesel vehicles that do not belong to the latest generation are inevitable.

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– Anything else would mean a clear violation of citizens’ fundamental right to healthy living conditions, said Dudenhoeffer.

Observers assess that politics will not allow a traffic ban as it would significantly impact not only citizens but also many small and medium-sized enterprises whose fleets consist exclusively of diesel vehicles.

Greater investments in public transport

In the event that the court in Leipzig approves the bans, there could also be increased pressure on the automotive industry for technical changes to older “diesel vehicles,” which the industry has so far rejected due to enormous costs.

At meetings between politicians and representatives of the automotive industry last year, it was decided that the industry would cover the costs of software changes in certain vehicles. Greater investments in public transport are also planned.

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Environmental organizations have previously criticized the government led by Angela Merkel for being too accommodating to representatives of the automotive industry, one of the largest employers in the country.

As one of the solutions for polluted air in German cities, the possibility of introducing free public transport is being discussed, which cities have rejected due to high costs.