Kosovo could return import of old cars

The Kosovo government is discussing allowing import of cars older than ten years.

Her officials have said that “within the analysis for viewing tax policies are addressing such an option”.

But they have not provided details about what is the reason for the possible change of Law for vehicles.

Article 44 of this law, which has been adopted since 2017, says that <x0m road networks imported to Kosovo cannot be older than 10 years”.

Supporters of the law have said at that time that old cars pollute the environment, mainly through greater emissions.

Reversing this law is now opposed by communications and environmental experts.

Muhamed Krasniqi, director of the Temple College in Pristina, at the same time connoisseur of communications issues, says that Kosovo, if it encourages the import of old vehicles, will be converted to Europe's <x0->depond mobile points”.

This would help some European Union states clear their roads from old vehicles and, at the same time, contribute to further pollution of new Kosovo roads”, Krasniqi tells Radio Free Europe.

Several European countries, including Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, London, have taken different measures to restrict old vehicles. Some have even vowed to ban oil vehicles from moving to city centers until 2025.

Krasniqi says it is good for Kosovo to start taking measures to create infrastructure for green transport, respectively, for electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles are moved by one or more electric engines, which use only the energy stored in batteries.

According to Interior Ministry data in Pristina, dating from last December, a total of 395,840 vehicles are registered in Kosovo. Of them, only 74 are 100 percent electrical, meaning zero environmental pollution.

The biggest number of cars is those who use oil for burns exactly, 329,403.

The Effect on Health

Concerns about the impact that polluters removed from old vehicles and oil engines on human health have increased in recent years.

The World Health Organization estimates that millions of deaths each year are related to human exposure to external air pollution.

Kosovo, in measurements of various organisations, is often listed among countries with the most polluted air in the world.

In Kosovo's air pollution, in addition to thermal power stations burning coal for electricity production, vehicle emissions also influence, environmental experts say.

“[Importation of cars older than ten years], environmental aga aspect, will exacerbate the situation, namely, will pollute the air much more than we currently have”, says Free Europe Zecir Veseli, environmental affairs expert and professor at Pristina University.

In 2018, yet without becoming a year from the law's entry into force to ban imports of old cars over 10 years, some Kosovo Assembly deputies have proposed changes and compliance with this law.

Their reasoning at that time has been to enable citizens with the most difficult economic conditions to buy cars since the oldest car, the cheaper.

Regarding this proposal, the European Union Office in Kosovo has reacted, saying changing the law would be contrary to EU norms.

According to Veselaj, the idea that allowing imports of cars older than 10 years will help citizens buy cars will have high costs for the environment if materialised.

Any engine, the older it is in its use, the efficiency of burning fuel is weaker. The weakest fuel burn means the largest polluting discharges in the environmental air that we're absorbing”, Vesela says.

Kosovo customs make known about REL that citizens continue to buy more cars used than new ones.

According to their data, covering the January period April 2022, the number of cars imported to Kosovo is 7,056, while of new cars 931.

The executive director of the Kosovo Security Bureau, Sami Mazrek, says that to have security in communications, the technical state of vehicles is very important.

According to him, legal changes “are the competence of Kosovo Assembly deputies”.