EU seeks to defuse row over Mercedes air-conditioning coolant

EU seeks to defuse row over Mercedes air-conditioning coolant Tue Aug 6, 2013 1:13pm EDT * Brussels acts to break impasse * Tests by German officials viewed as lacking transparency * Upcoming results not seen pleasing either camp By Barbara Lewis,... More

EU seeks to defuse row over Mercedes air-conditioning coolant Tue Aug 6, 2013 1:13pm EDT * Brussels acts to break impasse * Tests by German officials viewed as lacking transparency * Upcoming results not seen pleasing either camp By Barbara Lewis, Christiaan Hetzner and Hendrik Sackmann BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Tuesday it would mediate in a fierce row over air-conditioning coolant in Mercedes-Benz cars by refereeing safety tests. The Commission, citing the need for a "confidence-building measure", said it wanted to guarantee the impartiality of an analysis of the coolant being carried out by Germany's motor vehicle department KBA and offered independent technical support for the investigation. "The main objective will be reassuring manufacturers and the consumers that all means were invested to ensure the principles of objectivity and transparency in the risk assessments," a spokesman for Industry Commissioner Antonio Tajani said in a statem Less