Owners of cars more than 12 years old wishing to scrap them in return for compensation representing financial support to be used for the purchasing of a new car can file a request at an authorized dealer participating in the program. Producers, importers and distributors accepted the extension of the program of renewal of the vehicle fleet, signing Thursday a protocol with the Administration of the Environment Fund (AFM), the institution that pays the compensations for the scrapping of the old cars. This year the state will grant 3,000 RON (approximately 840 euros) scrapping premiums to people willing to give up their old polluting car in exchange for money for purchasing a new vehicle. Roughly 16,500 people will benefit from this government program, 1,500 more than last year. A car owner can receive the grant only once. Organizations and non-residents are not eligible for the program. According to the procedures of the program, interested car-owners must first put their names on the waiting list of one of the dealers authorized to participate in the program. The list of authorized dealers, which includes 29 companies from 14 cities, is available on the AFM Web site at www.afm.ro. Eighteen brands of cars are available for purchase through this program. Proceedings will be similar to those employed in last year's version of the program. The owner of the old car chooses a new one from the offer of the authorized dealers and obtains an acceptance certificate on presenting the old cars documents. From this moment, the person is guaranteed to benefit from the program, providing they do not break the program's rules. The antiquated car must be driven to the local authorized wrecking yard in working condition. With the license plates and a certificate attesting to the delivery of the car for dismantlement, the owner erases the vehicle from the auto registry. With the documents proving that all these steps have been undergone, the owner may then go to the car dealer to benefit from the 3,000 RON discount. The transaction is carried out like a regular one, the seller being reimbursed by the AFM later on.
The company that attempts to re-sell the car left for dismantlement, or any of its subassemblies risks a fine of 2,800 euros to 5,600 euros for breach of contract.
This measure is aimed at reducing air-polluting emissions from cars that do not meet the pollution standards of the European Union. The program will be applied until December 12, within the limit of available funds. Authorities have allocated 12.584 million euros for the program. Romania ranks among the countries with the oldest vehicle fleet in the world. The average age of cars currently in use is 13.5 years, a level representing the scrapping term in many European countries. In May and June, the auto registry recorded an average of 1,300 registrations per day, according to data presented by the half-yearly report of the Community Service of Driver's Licenses and Auto Registration. Almost 140,000 new vehicles have been registered since the beginning of the year in Bucharest alone, while 80,000 others have been given provisory authorizations. Additionally, over 80,000 old cars have been erased from the registry. Those registered in Bucharest represent a 30 percent share of the total number of cars registered in Romania. The report insists on improved registration proceedings, which currently include a 48 hour waiting period for registrations, while vehicle removals from the registry and provisory registrations are granted on the spot.
Starting today, a new office will receive demands related to vehicle registration issues, the loss of a vehicle's documents and suspensions of the registration.

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