The European Commission rates well the transposition of European Union regulations to Serbia’s legislation, but implementation is at a low level, especially concerning the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive, said Aleksandar Vesić, assistant minister for agriculture and environmental protection. He added there are few licences for treatment of the category of waste, Tanjug agency reported. By the end of the year, Serbia will get a national plan for end-of-life vehicles management with determined economic instruments, Vesić stated at a round table in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia.
He pointed out stricter controls are necessary for safety in transport, and because many vehicles are dismantled for parts in the black market. Actually there are many licences, but most are just for storing, while just four cover treatment, according to the assistant minister. “In the accession process we are obligated to transpone all regulations by 2018 and to reach reuse and recycling of at least 85% of end-of-life vehicles. In EU, the share is now 95%,” Vesić added.
Filip Radović, head of Serbian Environmental Protection Agency, stressed the number of end-of-life vehicles registered at the institution is increasing. Siniša Mitrović, advisor in the chamber’s Environmental Protection Centre, stated the determination of incentives is crucial for getting the sector regulated. “I’ve been following statistics since 2008, and I can note that not one case initiated by inspection was ruled on, but only one related to illegal logging,” he underscored, commenting on the inefficiency of courts to sanction the biggest polluters.
Participants at the event said the customs, the government and its agencies should be obligated to track the flow of the waste category. Another idea is to introduce a rule for state institutions and enterprises to take old vehicles only to licenced operators. Environmental duty per tonne in Serbia is RSD 12,000 (EUR 98), while last year 627 firms added 270,000 tonnes in vehicles to the market.
