Preliminary assessment of the fourth payment request of Romania

Number and name of the Milestone: RO-C[C4]-R[R1.0]-M[60] Entry into force of the legal act(s) to boost the use of clean vehicles and fleet renewal programmes

Related Measure: RO-C[C4]-R[R1.0] Sustainable transport, decarbonisation and road safety

Qualitative Indicator: Provision in the legal act(s) indicating the entry into force of the legal act(s) to boost the use of clean vehicles and fleet renewal programmes

Time: Q2 2024

1. Context:

The objective of the reform is to support the transition towards sustainable and smart mobility by reforming the transport system in Romania.

Milestone 60 is related to the entry into force of legal acts providing financial and fiscal incentives to increase zero-emission vehicles and scrap polluting vehicles (EURO 3 or below).

Milestone 60 is the fifth milestone of the reform, and follows the completion of milestone 69, milestone 65, milestone 66, related to the adoption of road safety legislation, adoption of the railway infrastructure strategy (which were positively assessed as part of the second payment request) and of milestone 59 concerning the legal acts for the implementation of a new distance- based charging system for heavy duty vehicles linked to air pollution, and higher ownership taxes for most polluting passengers vehicles (included in the fourth payment request).

This milestone will be followed by targets 61 and 62, related to increasing the share of clean vehicles procured by contracting authorities and, scrapping of polluting vehicles (EURO 3 or below) as well as increasing the number of zero-emission vehicles overall, respectively.

2. Evidence provided:

                  Name of the evidence                               Short description

    1    Cover note                                  Summary document duly justifying how the
                                                     milestone (including all the constitutive
                                                     elements) was satisfactorily fulfilled.
    2    Copy of the Ministerial Order No.           The Ministerial Order approved the RABLA
         323/2020 approving the Financing            PLUS Programme that provided non-
         Guide for the Programme on reducing         reimbursable support in the form of eco-label,
         greenhouse gas emissions in transport       for the purchase of new electric vehicles or
         by promoting clean and energy-              new hybrid electric vehicles, in exchange for
         efficient road transport vehicles, 2020-    the scrapping of old vehicles.
         2024, published in the Official Journal,    The Ministerial Order entered into force on 3
         No. 174/2020, Part I, and entered into      March 2020 in accordance with Article 12(3) of
         force on 3 March 2020 - with                Law 24/2000 on the rules of legislative

         subsequent amendments.                      technique for the drafting of legislative acts).
                                                     The order was amended by the following

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