APIA: EC wants the Western second-hand cars to end up in East Europe. That is why it asks for changing the car registration law

Vineri, 26 iunie 2009, 17:50 English | Regional Europe

The EC requested on Thursday that Romania changed the implementation of the pollution taxation. The national Romanian Cars Producers and Importers Association (APIA) appreciated it is a weird decision since the infringement procedure opened against Romania in 2007 was closed in 2009. Why this request now APIA asks, assuming that the older EU member states will stimulate their own new car industry if more and more old cars from the EU will end up being used in Central and Eastern Europe.

"The EC ‘Official notification’ requests explanations on an issue, without accusing. Therefore, the notice is not considered a ‘warning’. It is, however, unusual that the infringement procedure, opened in 2007 and closed in 2009 because of change/conformity with the legislation, is opened again despite February’s emergency ordinance regarding the pollution tax being constructed on the same principles of the one accepted by the EC", an APIA communiqué report reads.

APIA raised the question about the moment for the EC to come up with this notice, since the Commission made no objections when the new pollution tax was introduced in February, 2009. The association has its own hypothesis: "Is it maybe because the old car 'transfer' to the large East and Central European markets can be one of the tools used to stimulate the demand for new cars in EU 15?"

The European Commission asked Romania on Thursday to change the pollution taxation law. The legislation suspends the tax for certain car category and increases it for certain category from the rest of the EU. The Commission finds the law discriminatory, meant do protect the national new cars industry. The EC sent Romania a notice letter. This is the first step of the infringement procedure.