Several changes have been made in this year’s edition of the Cash-for-Clunkers program in Romania, the Ministry of Environment and the Environment Fund Administration announced.

For the first time, there will be electronic vouchers, instead of print ones, and cars older than eight years can join the program. The Environment Fund Administration will allocate a number of 20,000 vouchers, the total budget for this year amounting to RON 140 million (some EUR 31 million). The value of a ticket is RON 6,500 ( around EUR 1,400).

“To stimulate the purchase of environmentally friendly cars, it will be possible to grant, in addition to the scrapping bonus, an eco-bonus of RON 500 (EUR 110),” reads the statement.

The vouchers assigned to individuals will be distributed to each county based on the number of used cars registered at the Directorate for Driving Licenses and Vehicle Registration. The funding session will be organized in four stages, each lasting 60 days.

“As of Wednesday, March 5, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, together with the Environmental Fund Administration, put up for public debate the draft Order of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Rovana Plumb, for the approval of the Financing Guide of the Program to Stimulate the National Car Park’s Renewal.  The project is posted on the institutions’ websites, www.mmediu.ro and www.afm.ro,” reads the statement.

The calendar of this year's Cash-for-Clunkers program is to be communicated on the two websites.

Cash-for-Clunkers is a governmental program aiming to replace old cars with new ones that are less polluting.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com