By next year in Kosovo, no one will be allowed to circulate environmentally polluted cars

This minister has issued an administrative guide for technical control licensing procedures, where it is estimated that a car subject to technical control should meet certain standards in terms of environmental pollution.

Such an initiative has been undertaken by Kosovo institutions under measures to protect the environment.

Eset Berisha, political adviser to the Ministry of Infrastructure, told Radio Free Europe that they have begun with the implementation of the gas control pilot, which emits cars.

“This administrative guide is beginning to be implemented at the beginning of this year, but the measure of gas that cars emit is beginning to take place in September of this year, but for full implementation of this instruction it needs to be certified even some more inspections that will be dealt with under the supervision of technical controls. As soon as these inspectors are certified, it will be started with monitoring technical controls for implementing standards in terms of gas emissions defined with European Union standards”, Berisha points out.

Certificates that limit the flow of cars, which do not meet the necessary standards, Beirsha adds, have not yet begun to apply because inspections who will handle technical checkups should be certified.

But according to him, all this procedure is expected to be completed by early next year.

Depending on the procurement and selection procedures of the company that will deal with their inspection and verification training, since it is an international inspection that needs to be done, full implementation of this instruction will begin. But, as of January next year, we will begin with the work of inspectors and the issuing of certificates for each car passing technical control”, Berisha says.

Under the changes made to the Law for Automotives, which were enacted earlier this year, it is said that cars in Kosovo cannot be imported older than ten years, as well as cannot be imported by cars that fail to meet the standard ceeuro four.

However, changes and fulfillments of this law had yet to be sought from entry into force for a year. Some MPs had proposed lifting the restriction to import old cars.

But, regarding this proposal, the European Union Office in Kosovo had also reacted, saying these changes are contrary to EU laws.

Meanwhile, official data shows that more than 315 thousand registered cars are present in Kosovo, where the average age of cars flowing around Kosovo is 18 years.

Nol Deday, professor of Communication at UBT College, in a conversation about Radio Free Europe, says that pollution derived from the emissions of old cars can be eliminated only if these are removed from circulation and replaced by new ones.

“As regards eliminating the age of vehicles, this can be done only if newer vehicles are prioritized in progress. Without the cooling of vehicles through customs, there is no theoretical possibility to regulate this issue, despite administrative guidelines such as eco-testing will be a failure, since 80 percent of our vehicles are old” in Kosovo, Dedaj points out.

New cars imported by European Union states since the implementation of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement in 2016 are not paid customs duties. And for used cars, customs taxes are paid 9 percent out of 10 percent as early as they were.

Last winter, the air quality in Kosovo's capital had reached an alarming level, exceeding all recommended standards. According to data from the Agency for Environmental Protection and the American Embassy, the values of the PM 2.5 were above the allowed values.

Kosovo's biggest environmental donors are considered to be the Kosovo Energy Corporation, which produces energy through burning coal, as well as its use for heating and multiple cars.