The 45-member inquiry committee will investigate issues including the alleged failure of the Commission to keep test cycles under review and whether the Commission and the member states had evidence of the use of ‘defeat mechanisms’ before the scandal emerged on 18 September 2015.

The committee will present an interim report within six months, and a final report within 12 months, of starting its work.

The latest announcements follows a vote in October calling for a thorough investigation into the role and responsibility of the EU Commission and member states and urging them to disclose what they knew of these breaches and what actions had been taken.

The inquiry was approved by 354 votes to 229, with 35 abstentions.