Serbia gives up on biannual vehicle inspections for older cars amid pushback

Serbia will amend a law to scrap one of two inspections a year required for vehicles over 15 years of age Interior Minister Nebojša Stefanović said amid an uproar over an announcement the rule would start applying nine years since the law was adopted.

The biannual vehicle inspections were to be introduced on July 5 under a recently adopted rulebook, prompting thousands of motorists to sign an online petition against the move in a matter of days.

Earlier, RTS reported that the vehicle inspections would focus on roadworthiness, but also emissions, which would have to be at least at the level in effect on the day of manufacture.

Around 30% of automobiles in Serbia are over 15 years old, while the Association of Vehicle and Parts Importers’ data shows that imports of used vehicles by far exceed the number of registered new cars.

Minister of Environmental Protection Goran Trivan has vowed continued efforts to avert imports of diesel cars a court in Germany has ruled can be banned by cities to tackle pollution, also announcing stricter inspections to control emissions.

At the same time, Trivan has announced that the environmental protection fee would be charged on pre-owned imported vehicles, also noting that the goal is to encourage imports of electric and hybrid cars.