EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders called on Volkwagen to make payments to all EU consumers caught in the "Dieselgate" scandal in comments on Tuesday.

EU consumers who purchased Volkswagen vehicles with defeat devices to cheat emissions tests are owed payments just as American and German consumers, Reynders said.

On Twitter, Reynders wrote, "All EU consumers must be treated fairly and the same way." 

What is 'Dieselgate'?

In a statement, the EU Commission noted Volkswagen had sold 8.5 million vehicles in the EU that had been outfitted with a defeat device to cheat emissions tests through 2015.

For years, Volkswagen had marketed its diesel vehicles as clean when they were in fact massive polluters. Consumers who bought into the notion of green technology in their vehicles were betrayed by the manufacturer who had sold them a dirty polluter.

Following scandals with US regulators and indictments of senior executive at Volkswagen over the defeat device in the US, the European Court of Justice ruled Volkswagen's actions were likewise illegal in December 2020.

Now it is time to pay EU consumers, Brussels said.

ar/aw (AFP, dpa)