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Your old car can be scrapped – even if you don’t want to.
A new EU proposal threatens, among other things, vintage cars, something that arouses sharp criticism.
– It is the car owner himself who must decide when his old Volvo is ready to be scrapped – not the EU, thunders MEP Heléne Fritzon (S).
The new proposal, which was put forward in July this year, is about the EU Commission wanting to renew the old regulations and thus see stricter rules regarding when a car should be scrapped.
Clear criteria indicate when a car is considered forfeited, and thus vehicle owners will no longer have the right to decide for themselves when their car will go to car heaven. It is decided instead based on a list of points, where ownership of the vehicle is forfeited if any of the points are met.
One such is, among other things, that the car must undergo a necessary control inspection after more than two years. If this is not done in time, the car is considered waste and must therefore be scrapped.
Vintage car can be considered as waste
Even when the issue was brought up during a consultation round earlier this autumn, sharp criticism was raised – including from the National Association of Motor History, MHRF.
– Unfortunately, many cars are in poor condition and parked somewhere. But it could also be a 1956 Ferrari Mondial that’s battered or rusted or burned and looks awful, and still fetch a couple of million dollars at auction. The same applies to the Rover from 1974 which was sold for a modest 3,000 kroner at auction in Sweden. If you expect that the buyer will put down even more before the vehicle is restored, it could be considered waste according to these rules, Jan Tägt at MHRF, previously told The World of Technology.
The purpose is that the EU wants to “promote a more circular automotive industry” by having control over the vehicle from the time it is produced to when it is scrapped – all to ensure that it is recycled in an environmentally friendly way.
Exceptions exist, for example for vehicles with so-called “historical interest”, but this also includes that the car must be at least 30 years old, in original condition and that it has not undergone any major technical changes.
“Is a people’s movement”
Another who now joins the crowd of critical voices is the social democratic MEP Heléne Fritzon. She will fight for the issue in parliament.
– We have a people’s movement in Sweden, a motor movement, a cultural heritage – and I want to protect it. I myself live in a small village in the Scanian countryside where the interest in motorcycles is very large. There you drive around in EPA tractors, vintage cars and raggar cars. This law simply does not fit here as ownership of the car is important and must be respected.
Furthermore, she believes that they also want to protect the hobby market that exists for cars and car parts, where people exchange spare parts with each other and thus recycle.
– We will never pass legislation like this as it is the car owner himself who must decide when his old Volvo is ready to be scrapped and not the EU.
Important to take a stand
At the time of writing, it is unclear when the issue may be discussed in parliament, but Heléne Fritzon believes that it is important to take a position on the issue now.
– The idea is that this should become a law and of course, it is a good ambition to reduce the number of scrap cars in nature, I support that, but I mean that every member state can work on it. We have rules in Sweden today around vintage cars that work well, it is a folk sport that sustains itself with the market that already exists.
– This is a people’s movement, and I believe that such a law would make far too great an impact on cultural heritage.