During the EP plenary session (5-8 February 2018) in Strasbourg, MEPs discuss on the manipulation of scientific research by multinationals in the wake of the emission tests on monkeys and humans by the German car industry. Statements by Elżbieta BIEŃKOWSKA, Member of the EC in charge of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs , Peter LIESE (EPP, DE), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D, BE), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL) and Miriam DALLI (S&D, MT).

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

emissions of vehicles (T)

BIEŃKOWSKA, Elżbieta (PL, EC)

VAN BREMPT, Kathleen (S&D, BE)

GERBRANDY, Gerben-Jan (ALDE, NL)

DALLI, Miriam (S&D, MT)

animal welfare (T)

LIESE, Peter (EPP, DE)

healthcare safety (T)

Manipulation of scientific research by multinationals in the wake of the emission tests on monkeys and humans by the German car industry: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), El&#380;bieta BIE&#323;KOWSKA, Member of the EC in charge of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs , It is the second time that the car sector shows that it is completely untrustworthy. One has to question the ethical behaviour of the german car industry. Is this really, yet again just an incidence of misbehaviour of a few individuals in a company? I have to say frankly I doubt it. It is systemic problems in this industry.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elżbieta BIEŃKOWSKA, Member of the EC in charge of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, at the moment the tools available to us to remedy this situation are limited. The Commission has launched infringement procedures against some member states, I have also repeatedly asked in writing to the Council ministers to fully cooperate and to inform us fully, about the state of play of the investigations, and about the remedial actions that they are taking.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter LIESE (EPP, DE), We are talking here about long-term exposure, and the question then is how can you get a control of exposure to particulate? It is possible that thee will be ways of circumventing things we have got to go the root cause in the vehicles themselves. And we have called on the Commission in the past to do something. The reply that we got was not particularly persuasive.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&amp;D, BE), Exposing human beings to toxic diesel fuels in a laboratory and also the monkeys in the US =, brings us already very low. But add up to that the fact that these cars in these tests were manipulated,and so also the results were manipulated. And that reminds us for instance of the tobacco industry. Remember when they in the past paid for so-called independent research to say that there no hazardous substances in cigarettes. And the aim is to undermine the world of legislators such as us, and at the same time mislead consumers.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), It is the Member States, they allow the.car industry to get away with it, and to appear to be above the law. They didn't do the the checks. There are no statutory, mandatory recalls. Where are the fines? For Volkswagen, or Skoda or Fiat?

SOUNDBITE (English), Miriam DALLI (S&amp;D, MT), I have a message for Volkswagen and its competitors in the car industry. In the Diesel scandal and with these tests on animals, twice you have lied to the citizens. The fact that some people have been dismissed in your statements in public is not fooling anybody. We want to see compensation!

Illustrative footage of cars and exhaust pipes (5 shots).