The government is preparing new rules for the removal from circulation and collection of old, abandoned or obsolete vehicles. Municipalities, in cooperation with the State Police, will be engaged in the identification and removal of abandoned vehicles, while citizens will be able to hand over their cars for destruction free of charge to authorized operators. However, the initiative is not accompanied by financial policies to encourage the purchase of new vehicles.
The draft decision provided and analyzed by VNA, together with the explanatory report of the Ministry of Environment, foresees changes in the method of collection, treatment and final deregistration of vehicles that have reached the end of their life.
According to Article 9 of the draft decision, "The Municipality, in cooperation with the State Police structure responsible for road traffic, takes measures to identify and remove abandoned vehicles in the territory under its jurisdiction."
Before these vehicles are sent for destruction, authorities must verify the ownership and legal status of the vehicle, as well as notify the owner, respecting legal procedures.
Another change of direct interest to citizens is the free delivery of end-of-life vehicles to authorized collection and treatment points, including licensed entities that exercise this activity.
Article 10 stipulates that operators “shall take delivery of the vehicle at the end of its life at no cost to the last holder or owner, even when the vehicle has no market value or has a negative market value.”
However, free delivery will not apply in every case. Operators may charge a fee when the vehicle is missing essential parts, such as the engine or bodywork, or when other waste has been deposited inside.
The explanatory report explains that "the costs of this delivery are borne by the producer, in whole or in a significant part", according to the legislation on extended producer responsibility.
The draft decision also establishes rules for the final deregistration of vehicles. Owners must be provided with a certificate of destruction, issued by an authorized operator, a document that serves as a condition for the final removal of the vehicle from the road traffic register. The certificate is issued free of charge.
But while the government is regulating the disposal of depreciated vehicles, the draft decision lacks measures for renewing the vehicle fleet. It does not foresee subsidies for the purchase of new cars, bonuses for citizens who hand in old vehicles, or financial schemes for replacing them with less polluting vehicles.
In this way, the initiative focuses on the management and recycling of end-of-life vehicles, without creating a direct support mechanism for citizens who want to purchase a new vehicle.
The Ministry of Environment's report argues that the changes aim to "prevent the abandonment of end-of-life vehicles in the environment" and reduce pollution from the hazardous substances they contain.
The draft decision, which aims to replace the existing 2012 decision, is part of the approximation of Albanian legislation with European Union standards for waste management.
The provisions do not set a general age limit for cars on the road, nor an obligation to destroy every old vehicle. They apply to vehicles that have reached the end of their life and are considered waste.
