ROME -- An Italian court has opened the way for a class action lawsuit against automaker Volkswagen over its emissions scandal.

Altroconsumo, a consumer rights organization, said a tribunal in Venice gave it the go-ahead Thursday to file the lawsuit.

Altroconsumo said the lawsuit would include all affected cars from the Volkswagen group, including Audi, Skoda and Seat brands.

In 2015, it was discovered that some Volkswagen diesel cars had software that allowed them to cheat on U.S. emissions tests. The German company says about 11 million cars worldwide are fitted with the software.

Altroconsumo said 650,000 of them are in Italy and that 30,000 people are interested in taking part in the lawsuit.

It hasn't been proven that Volkswagen cheated in European tests, which are less stringent and being revised.