BEUC member organisations support claims against Volkswagen

PRESS STATEMENT - 06.11.2017

Today, international law firm Hausfeld filed a claim on behalf of 15,000 German car owners affected by the dieselgate scandal at a German court. This case is a clear signal that VW will not escape its responsibility towards consumers in Europe.

Four consumer organisations (members of BEUC) in Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal have already brought a group action against VW in 2016. Another 4 consumer organisations from Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland, all members of The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), are co-operating with Hausfeld and claims platform MyRight so that consumers get justice in their countries.

Monique Goyens, Director General of BEUC commented:

“The Volkswagen scandal broke two years ago. While Volkswagen swiftly compensated US consumers, it has ignored claims from European consumers. This mass claim in Germany shows that VW is not going to be let off the hook.

“Most EU countries lack a collective redress mechanism. This means it is more difficult for consumers to join forces and take legal actions against multinational companies such as Volkswagen. Consumer organisations in Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland are therefore working with organisations like Hausfeld to achieve compensation of consumers in their countries. There are now 8 European countries where consumer organisations are taking action against VW.¹”

ENDS

Notes:

¹ In addition to Lietuvos vartotojų organizacijų aljansas (Lithuania), Spoločnosť ochrany spotrebiteľov (S.O.S.) Poprad (Slovakia), Zveza Potrošnikov Slovenije (Slovenia) and Fédération Romande des Consommateurs (Switzerland) consumer organisations from Belgium (Test Achats/Test Aankoop), Italy (Altroconsumo), Portugal (DECO) and Spain (OCU) have launched groups actions against VW last year.