It is official, Albania bans imports of all vehicles older than 10 years and all those that not meets the Euro 5 emission standards that have been implemented in the EU since late 2009.
The decision will become effective starting January 2019 and aims to reduce pollution from car emissions, one of the main contributors to high levels of air pollution in the country with negative effects on both humans and the environment.
The initiative also targets gradually making the country’s vehicle fleet younger, currently at 20 years old, twice higher compared to EU’s average car age.
General Director of environmental policy, Pellumb Abeshi, said that by March 2018, all owners who will import or have it, but have not registered, will have to the procedures at the Road Traffic Directorate.
“By the implementation of this decision, the new vehicles will be Euro 5, according to the EU standard and the level of discharge to the environment. The used car is set to be no more than 10 years from the year of production and their circulation, or Euro 4. By March 2018, all owners who will import or have them already, but have not registered, will have to do the procedures at the Road Traffic Directorate,” said Abeshi.
Only 3.3 percent of vehicles circulating in the country, some 14,000, are estimated to meet Euro 5 and 6 emission standards applied in the EU since late 2009 and 2014 respectively, in a situation that significantly contributes to air pollution in the country.
Air pollution figures in Albania remain among the highest in Europe, according to a 2016 report on air quality by the European Environment Agency.
