German court rules cities can ban diesel cars

A court in Germany has ruled cities will be allowed to ban older diesel vehicles to cut air pollution. The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig made the landmark ruling for […]

A court in Germany has ruled cities will be allowed to ban older diesel vehicles to cut air pollution.

The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig made the landmark ruling for the cities of Stuttgart and Düsseldorf to ban more polluting vehicles.

The government had opposed the ban, arguing it would cause disruption but environmental group DUH sued dozens of German cities – around 70 of them, including Cologne and Munich, recorded average nitrogen dioxide levels above EU thresholds last year.

Ministers instead offered a €1 billion (£880m) fund, partly paid for by the industry, to improve public transport and upgrade fleets to electric buses.

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