The number of registered vehicles in the country’s passenger transport is on the rise and with it, the average age is also on the rise which is especially causing concern regarding the cars. In 2020, the country has for the first time in its history evidenced over half a million registered passenger and towed vehicles i.e. a total of 500, 633 cars, busses, trucks, motorbikes, tractors and other types of motor vehicles. Last year, in Macedonia there was a record number of 429, 196 vehicles with this country’s vehicle registration plates.
The tendency of rising of population’s motorization is monitored in the capital. During last year, in Skopje, there were 155,195 registered cars i.e. for the first time in the capital’s history the number of 150,000 passenger motor vehicles owned by citizens was surpassed. The increase in the number of these transportation vehicles was basically registered in all municipalities in Skopje.
What is causing concern about the rise of vehicles owned by citizens is the average age of the car fleet. It is causing great concern with the car that during 2020 had a record average age of 19, 4years which is an unseen data until now in the country’s latter transportation history.
This data isn’t surprising if the following fact is taken into account that the unhindered import of used cars from abroad for years hasn’t been under the control of the authorities. Even though at the start of 2021, the Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi announced that the Government intends to limit the import of cars with a minimum of EURO 5 standard of emissions of gasses in 2021 until today none of that was implemented.
Even the numbers are showing that the import of used cars from abroad not only isn’t decreasing but during the first 6 months of 2021, more than a double increase of imported used vehicles in Macedonia was evidenced compared to last year. According to the data provided by the Customs services, the importers of old vehicles have managed to import 20, 50 used cars during the period from January to June 2021 while the number of new and unused vehicles was three times less i.e. 3,410.
On several occasions, Meta.mk had written that with the years primarily due to the import of used cars from abroad that are most often using diesel as fuel, the share of transportation in the total emissions of greenhouse gasses in the country is growing unhindered. If the data in the Energetics sector are seen, in 1990, the transportation had a share of 8,2 % in the creation of the harmful gasses measured in carbon dioxide while in 2016 its share in percents has increased to 28,1%.