Task force to examine issue of foreign-plated cars

A special task force will be created at the order of PM Vlad Filat to examine the issue of the cars with foreign plates which, under current rules, cannot stay in Moldova longer than 90 days over one year, Info-Prim Neo reports. “We had approved an exception to the law to remove the requirement of the monetary deposit for the Moldovan citizens (working abroad) who drive cars older than 7 years specifically for cases when they visit their relatives (in Moldova). But, as everyone can see now, the measure has been used by some people to make profit, and now they are protesting outside the Government building. We will not permit anyone to use a legal measure in one's narrow interests”, declared Vlad Filat. The prime minister said that most of the protesters each owned 2 or 3 cars. Moreover, Lithuanian authorities reported that about 600 cars circulating in Moldova with old Lithuanian plates had been stricken off a long time ago. A similar report is expected to be provided by Bulgaria, as well. The owners of cars with foreign plates, mostly Lithuanian and Bulgarian, have staged a number of protests against recent amendments to the customs legislation. The old rules provided that foreign cars must exit the country after staying in Moldova for a period no longer than three months, but there was no stipulation as to when those cars could return to the country. So, until recently, the owners used this gap to re-introduce the cars immediately after exiting. The new rules, in effect from April 4, provide that a foreign car can stay in the country for a period of 90 days during one year. Now the protesters are asking for an exception which would allow them to register locally the foreign cars introduced into Moldova until April, regardless of the age limit, which is set at 7 years.