EU Takes Action Against Italy, Claims It Ignored FCA Cheating Emission Tests

It seems the automotive industry’s crackdown on cheating diesels has only just begun.

The EU took legal action against Italy on Wednesday, claiming the government turned a blind eye to Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s attempts to skirt emission regulations using a “defeat device,” according to the Guardian. Italy is the eighth country the EU has accused of improperly regulating the software devices, joining the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Spain and the U.K.

Italy’s transport minister, Graziano Delrio, recently asked the EU to delay taking formal action, though that request was ignored.

“The commission’s action highlights that the Italian government tried to whitewash emissions cheating by Fiat Chrysler rather than protect the health of its citizens,” Ugo Taddei, a lawyer for ClientEarth, said, via the Guardian.

News of the EU’s accusations come roughly four months after the United States Environmental Protection Agency notified FCA that some of its diesel vehicles were in violation of the Clean Air Act.

Thumbnail photo via Fiat Chrysler Automobiles