Car importers seek implementation of programme similar to Romania’s “Rabla” in Moldova

The Association of Car Importers pleads for the implementation of a programme similar to Romania’s “Rabla” (“Jalopy”) in the Republic of Moldova. Under the programme, the state purchases old vehicles that pollute the environment by offering the possibility of buying new cars in leasing. However, members of the Association that took part in a news conference on September 18 consider that it would be more difficult to implement such a programme in Moldova over the next several years because the Government does not have the necessary financial resource at present. Also, the authorized importers say that the car market in Moldova is for the time being too small for such investments. The funds needed to implement the programme “Rabla” in Romania are collected from pollution taxes, which are much higher than the ones levied in Moldova. Igor Serbinschi, representative of the car importing company “DAAC –Hermes”, said that 70% of pollutants in the atmosphere in Moldova come from vehicles. The strict implementation of the European ecological norms and their observance by the Moldovan motorists is yet only discussed at the Ministry of Transport and Road Administration. Currently, the drivers in Moldova pay a pollution tax of about 180 lei a year. It is much smaller compared with the taxes of 100 to 150 euros paid in Europe, depending on the country and the car’s pollution indexes. The pollution taxes in the European states are equal in size to the degree to which the car pollutes the environment. The car importers say that the Government of Moldova should decide on the new policies in the area in the shortest time, fix new pollution taxes and channel the money collected into implementing a programme similar to the Romanian one. It would be fair to raise the taxes because the pollution affects not only the motorists, but the entire population of the country. The owners would not object if sure that the money is used to implement concrete programmes, Igor Scerbinschi said. At the same time, the Government is asked to ban the utilization of cars that do not meet the ecological standards Euro 2 from 2012, and of those that do not meet the Euro 3 standards from 2015. Experts say that the Government must ban the import of cars that do not meet these standards starting now. The cars meeting the Euro 2 and Euro 3 standards are now not allowed to enter the European Union. Though there are cars in Moldova that correspond to the Euro 4 and Euro 5 ecological standards, these vehicles must be fuelled with gasoline of a corresponding quality. Yet, only 15% of the filling stations in Moldova sell gasoline meeting the Euro 4 and Euro 5 standards. These cars cannot be used efficiently given the low number of such stations, Igor Scerbinschi stated. According to him, the implementation of ecological standards for cars in Moldova cannot be reduced to the signing of documents showing the conformity to the European standards. There should be created a broad program that would oblige the filling station owners to sell fuel of the highest grade and involve the certification and control bodies in this process.