Austria sees record diesel litigation at European Court of Justice

A record number of diesel-related legal proceedings from Austria are currently pending at the European Court of Justice (ECJ). As of early September, approximately 400 diesel-related cases originated almost exclusively from Austria out of a total of 960 registered proceedings at the ECJ.

These cases involve preliminary ruling requests from national courts seeking clarification on the interpretation of EU law regarding the diesel emissions scandal. The scandal, which surfaced in 2015, revealed that engines from the Volkswagen Group and other manufacturers frequently deactivated emission controls during real-world driving.

Attorney Michael Poduschka, whose firm represents hundreds of vehicle owners seeking damages, noted that the scale of these requests “breaks all records.” While the Austrian Supreme Court had previously requested rulings in approximately 20 cases, hundreds of individual proceedings against various automakers were paused to await ECJ decisions. However, some processes were altered after Volkswagen acknowledged certain claims, affecting the progression of pending ECJ inquiries.