France’s emission probe criticised for missing ‘crucial details’

France’s emissions probe into automaker Renault following the ‘dieselgate’ scandal has been criticised for omitting ‘crucial details’.

A report from the Financial Times suggests that the French government may have been too lenient on Renault due to the fact it has a 20 per cent stake in the company.

The state inquiry, known as Commission Royal after the minister in charge of the investigation Ségolène Royal, allegedly did not disclose the full results of studies analysing the discrepancies between lab based emissions tests and real world performance  of a number of Renault vehicles.

Responding to the allegations, Jos Dings, executive director of Transport & Environment, called for a European watchdog to be formed that could operate separately from individual countries and mitigate conflicts of interest.

Dings said: “This is yet another example of a government protecting its own national industry champion, but it is not isolated to France. The Italian government protects Fiat, the German government covers for Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler, and the UK looks out for British interests. Here is where Europe can add value and set up a European watchdog that keeps in check the conflict of interests in each national market.

“We have known for quite some time now that diesel cars emit much more toxic fumes on the road than in the labs, worsening air pollution in our cities. The whole point of the Commission Royal was to get to the bottom of things, not to keep findings in the dark and away from public scrutiny. If the French government is serious about combating toxic air in French cities, Minister Royal must come clean and disclose the full findings of her inquiry."

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