Dieselgate: Consumer protection association CLCV regrets that the legal time in France is “extremely long”

The trial of former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn in the Dieselgate affair opens Tuesday in Germany. In France, the first hearing in the case will take place in 2025.

“Our class action can only be judged after the criminal case, in 2030, that’s an extremely long time”regrets Tuesday September 3 on franceinfo François Carlier, general delegate of the consumer protection association CLCV France, while the trial of the former boss of Volkswagen, Martin Winterkorn, in the Dieselgate affair opens Tuesday in Germany. The German group is accused of installing sophisticated software on vehicles that allowed them to display nitrogen oxide emissions that were much lower than the reality. The former German CEO, now 77, claims to have discovered the deception only in 2015, when the scandal broke.

franceinfo : How many French victims are affected by Dieselgate?

François Carlier: Approximately 800,000 people in France are theoretically affected by Dieselgate, people who, in our opinion, have suffered harm as a result of this deception. As in many countries, these are extremely long procedures, which are out of the ordinary. We do not have any good will on the part of the manufacturer. There are two cases that are ongoing. There is a criminal procedure. The French State is suing Volkswagen with numerous associations that are civil parties and 1,000 to 2,000 individuals who paid a lawyer to become a civil party.

The legal response is likely to be very long ?

We hope to have a first criminal hearing next year, that is to say in 2025, ten years after the facts. Then, since most people do not hire a lawyer ten years later to assert their damages, our association has filed a class action that allows the damages to be asserted for all the people without them having to hire a lawyer. This class action can only be judged after the criminal case, in 2030.

“In this type of business, we are used to having significant deadlines, but this is really out of the ordinary.”

François Carlier, general delegate of CLCV France

to franceinfo

In France, the facts are judged 10 to 15 years later, whereas in other countries, for example in Germany and the United States, there was a fairly rapid agreement with the manufacturer. This is not the case in France. We are dealing with procedures that are very long. This highlights the fact that in France, the time taken by justice is very, very long, and the resources of justice are insufficient. Waiting for a first criminal hearing nine years after the facts, we can clearly see that justice has material difficulties.

What do you expect from the German CEO’s trial?

This is another big brick. There have been other procedures. German associations have obtained compensation for consumer losses in Germany. This trial allows us to establish responsibilities within the company. It is really the former CEO who is being accused. This allows us to provide information for all the procedures that are taking place all over the world, in France, Italy and Spain. It is still indeed an additional acknowledgement of guilt. But the group continues to fight very, very hard in all the procedures, in all the countries. Even if its former CEO is convicted, they will say yes, but in France it is not the same, etc. It is still a fight in each country where there are still procedures.