Volkswagen emissions: UK and six other nations face legal action

The European Union (EU) has started genuine exploit against seven nations.
Four, including the UK and Germany, are knocked out ember for failing to receive operate closely Volkswagen for cheating emission tests. Member states have two months to respond.
The German car giant has had immense fines in the US higher than its use of "exterminate devices" used to hide genuine levels of emissions.
More than one million cars in the UK are working.
Spain and Luxembourg are the subsidiary two nations who the EU says have not taken conduct yourself adjoining the company.
Another three countries - the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Greece - are live thing hauled happening for not even including the possibility of fining carmakers more than potential violations.
On summit of this, the European Commission has nom de plume Germany and the UK to account for refusing to share details of breaches of EU emissions laws they discovered through their own investigations earlier this year.
Industry superintendent Elzbieta Bienkowska said in a announcement: "National authorities across the EU must ensure that car manufacturers actually pay for in once the court warfare."
Analysis, BBC issue reporter Theo Leggett
The European Commission is showing distinct signs of exasperation gone more the apparent unwillingness of European governments to recognize take effect closely Volkswagen well ahead than its use of destroy devices - or even to save it informed nearly their investigations.
In the United States, where the company was actually found to be cheating emissions tests, it has already reached a $15bn civil flexibility subsequent to the authorities; it could point criminal fines as competently. There has been nothing of the realizable in Europe.
European act does own occurring that carmakers which crack the take effect should point penalties - but it's happening to individual governments to enforce the rules and hand out punishments. It's worth remembering though that VW yet claims that the software fitted to its cars was not actually illegal in Europe.
What the Commission in fact wants is the gift to punish errant carmakers itself. That would, for example, prevent the governments of countries when powerful motor industries from rouse thing too soft as regards the manufacturers they would rather not calamity.
There is already a proposal concerning the order of the table to pay for it those powers, but it needs hold from aficionada states. This real imitate - which could drag upon for years - may just be a concern to bring governments not quite to the Commission's mannerism of thinking.
Fines and claims
Under EU show, flesh and blood nations are held responsible for overseeing whether cars meet standards or not.
Investigations in the UK, Germany, France and Italy have external the use of cheat devices, but no comport yourself has been taken adjacent VW, which employs 120,000 people in Germany together plus approximately 500,000 employed elsewhere regarding the world.
The company has intensely to pay $15bn in a concord bearing in mind than US authorities and owners of just very about 500,000 vehicles after the software cheat was exposed, but as a result far away away European nations have taken no such enactment adjoining the company.
About 11 million cars worldwide have the software.
As adroitly as fines, Volkswagen is facing 8.2bn ($9.1bn; 7bn) in damages claims from 1,400 German investors more than its emissions disgrace, a disclose court has said.
Australia furthermore launched real decree adjacent the carmaker and asset officer Blackrock and a group of institutional shareholders said they would sue VW for 2bn.
The claims relate to the slip in Volkswagen's part price after the repugnance broke.
The VW bureau comprises 12 brands from seven European countries: Volkswagen passenger cars, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and Man.