ERDEM-NEWSLETTER-2018-metin

95 COMPETITION LAW Whilst the EU Commission’s main claim in the scope of the investigation concerns emission control systems, it is alleged that the automakers are also exchanging information on other matters, as well. For example, it is claimed that the mentioned undertakings are exchanging information on technical matters, such as common tech- nical standards on automotive spare parts, as well as procedures for vehicle tests. In addition, it is known that the mentioned enterprises held various meetings on technical issues, such as sun roof and cruise control systems. It is also claimed that the Federal German automakers expanded their coordination to areas related to vehicle safety, such as crash tests, and shared their knowledge and experience in this area in a common pool. Conclusion The Diesel Emission Scandal, which started in 2015, radically changed the future plans of the relevant market’s players, particularly the German Automakers, eespecially with respect to the developments in the USA and Germany, which are quite remarkable. In the USA, the settlement negotiations, on behalf of millions of consumers, con- tinue 6 . Recently, this issue is more current, in Germany. For example, the Braunschweig Prosecutor’s Office levied an administrative fine on the VW Group of EUR 1 billion 7 . VW announced that it would not object to this penalty, and accepted its responsibility. The Prosecu- tor’s Office stated that between 2007 and 2015, approximately 10.7 million vehicles, worldwide, have installed software that manipulates emission rates. In addition, the price paid by the VW Group for the Diesel Emission Scandal reached EUR 25.5 billion. In addition to the compensation paid to the consumers, this amount includes the admin- istrative fines that were paid. In May, 2018, Hamburg was the first major city that introduced restrictions on the entry of diesel vehicles into the city 8 . Diesel ve- 6 ht tps : / /www. epa . gov/ enforcement /volkswagen-c l ean-a i r-ac t -c ivi l - settlement#civil (Access date: 7.12.2018). 7 https://www.morgenpost.de/wirtschaft/article214571605/VW-muss-in-der-Die- selaffaere-eine-Milliarde-Bussgeld-zahlen.html (Access date: 10.12.2018). 8 https://www.zeit.de/mobilitaet/2018-05/diesel-fahrverbote-hamburg-stickstoffb- elastung (Access date: 10.12.2018).