Analysis: New ambient air protection act does not prevent bans

The Bundestag has amended the ambient air protection act - the CDU and the SPD want to make it difficult for that Diesel-driving bans to be imposed. Alone: The change in the law brings nothing.

By Kolja Schwartz, ARD-right-editorial

The Chancellor, it announced in October 2018: driving bans should it be only then, if these are also relatively. In cities where the nitrogen dioxide-deck-value between 40 and 50 micro-grams per cubic meter of air, this is not usually the case. Interesting the time went to Merkel to the Public: it was Six days before the state election in Hessen. In Frankfurt am Main, the value was 47. The election campaign, suspected many.

Now, the Bundestag has passed the Amendment to the Federal Immission control act, so the implementation of what was announced. In the law text it is now called, among other things, that: "prohibitions of motor vehicle traffic, motor vehicles with a compression-ignition engine due to the Exceedance of the Immission limit value for nitrogen dioxide is usually only in the areas considered, in which the value of 50 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic meter of air, annual average exceeded."

driving ban zone in Hamburg. In the Hanseatic city, the limitation to handle for the first Time in Germany.

What's changed that means now? Nothing said:. The limit value of 40 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic meter of air has not been raised with this law. And the, the German legislator could not also. Because the limit is a European value, decided by all the European member States. Including Germany. And there is a legal obligation, and this limit adhered to. How this is achieved is a matter for the member States.