EU fines German car cartel €875M over clean emissions technology

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-fines-german-car-cartel-e875m-over-exhaust-gases-emissions

by thebas • 5 years ago

20 4 5 years ago

raxxorrax• 5 years ago

Deserved in my opinion, although I think the EU shouldn't be trusted with that much money.

Anyway, this shows how important the protection of environment is for this group: It amounts to nothing.

There are still people that believe companies when they espouse values, being gay is currently popular, but being green/clean comes close. I think to believe them is pathologically naive.

lemoncookiechip• 5 years ago

I'm sure the 1 billion euros will make a dent to this multi-trillion industry led by a handful of companies that owns almost all brands.

If we want to see change, we need to break this very obvious monopoly and by applying proportionate fines (and possibly prison time). This feels like the tech industry, which gets fined pennies for something that earns them billions in return. What's the incentive to change if you earn more from doing things the wrong way.

bierjunge• 5 years ago

Yeah, it's getting even better.

VW will need to pay the bulk of the penalty, €502 million, despite being granted a 45 percent reduction for having cooperated with the investigators.

WTF? 45% reduction for cooperation? Which cooperation? They even tried to bullshit their way out during the investigation.

BMW is fined the remaining €373 million.

Seems ok. Or not? Didn't they mention a third company?

Daimler got total immunity as it was the first participant in the cartel to denounce its existence.

1. Get into a illegal cartel 2. Make a lot of profit by breaking the law 3. Snitch, make your competitors pay millions and keep your illegally acquired money

It's a joke and it will not get better anytime soon. BMW, Daimler and VW have too much influence on the german politics to be penalized in a substantial way. Too many jobs are dependent on them, not only directly in their offices, service stations and factories, but also the whole supplier market.

ArkanExplorer• 5 years ago

The correct punishment should have been to ban them from manufacturing fossil-fuel-burning engines.

EU fines German car cartel €875M over clean emissions technology

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