Overview
- Germany’s Federal Court of Justice dismissed Environmental Action Germany’s case, ruling citizens’ personal rights were not affected by the automakers’ business activities and upholding lower-court decisions in Stuttgart and Munich.
- The court stated private individuals cannot require carmakers to stop marketing combustion-engine vehicles ahead of European Union timelines.
- DUH said it will review the decision, is weighing an appeal to the Constitutional Court, and urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government to act on climate policy.
- BMW and Mercedes-Benz welcomed the ruling as reinforcing that legislatures set climate targets, with BMW citing greater legal certainty for companies operating in Germany.
- The suit sought a 2030 phase-out, five years earlier than the EU’s original 2035 plan that was later weakened, reflecting a broader push by activists to use courts after mixed outcomes in earlier cases such as the RWE litigation.