Proposed Changes to Vehicle Emission Standards
The Ministry of Transport is proposing that vehicles which have not passed their annual technical inspections due to elevated harmful emissions should not be immediately banned from the roads. Changes to the relevant Regulation N-32 are being suggested, including an extended timeframe for addressing technical deficiencies.
The draft regulation has been made available for public discussion for a period of 30 days. These proposed changes are not entirely new; the acting Minister of Transport, Georgi Gvozdeikov, announced them last week. The initiative was prompted by numerous complaints from drivers regarding the stringent requirements for exhaust emissions, noting that even new cars are struggling to pass inspections.
This situation has led to the dismissal of Borisлав Muеров, the executive director of the Executive Agency for Road Transport, who has been replaced by Damián Voinovski. In light of the ongoing issues, Gvozdeikov has ordered the formation of a working group to review the texts of Regulation N-32 concerning periodic inspections for the technical fitness of road vehicles, despite his assertion that there is no chaos in the system.
The conclusion drawn is that deficiencies related to exhaust emissions do not directly impact road safety. Previously, these deficiencies were classified as “dangerous,” leading to the immediate removal of the affected vehicles from circulation. Under the proposed amendments to Regulation N-32, emission-related deficiencies will be categorized as “significant.” In this case, vehicle owners will be granted a period to rectify the issues before undergoing another technical inspection.
Another notable change suggests extending the timeframe for addressing these deficiencies from 14 days to 30 days.
