A few months ago, Germany’s classic car community was in turmoil. Reports were circulating that the EU was planning a directive that could force drivers to scrap their cars. Which actually amounts to forced expropriation. The first YouTube videos were quickly shot and articles were written that cast the warning light on Brussels’ regulatory frenzy regarding the beloved historic sheet metal.
Reason enough to take a closer look at the content of the European Commission’s proposal for a “Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council” of July 13, 2023. Basically, the word “suggestion” is important. So the contents are by no means set in stone, but are still being discussed in Parliament and the Council. What the politicians are concerned with is already stated in the first sentence: “The European Green Deal is the EU’s growth strategy to create a climate-neutral and clean circular economy by 2050, with which resource management is optimized and environmental pollution is minimized.” With around six million vehicles, the reach the end of their life cycle every year in the EU territory, a completely understandable concern.
The intention of the initiative is therefore clear. There is no question of expropriation accompanied by forced scrapping. Especially not for classic cars. It’s more about more environmental protection and better use of resources. After all, every car contains many valuable raw materials. Accordingly, the proposed rules should initially apply to cars and then gradually to buses, trucks and motorcycles. “This has nothing to do with ‘the EU orders the disposal of historic vehicles’,” the EU spokesman clarified to the German press agency (dpa). Vehicles of historical interest are expressly excluded from the proposals.
According to the EU model, vehicles of historical interest are vehicles that were built and registered at least 30 years ago, are no longer produced in this form, correspond largely to the original condition and are well preserved. However, it often happens that vehicles that are totaled are patched up and sold abroad in order to circumvent the regulations for the environmentally friendly disposal of end-of-life vehicles. If you follow these, it costs money. On the other hand, a used car that is basically just scrap brings a few thalers. In order to put a stop to this dangerous and criminal activity, the EU wants to define exactly when a scrap car is no longer for sale and must be disposed of properly. This category includes, for example, vehicles in which only the body remains, those that have been broken into individual parts or that have burned out.
It is also clear from the passages quoted at the beginning that the proposals are primarily about the recovery of important raw materials, which is particularly important in view of the expected competition for these materials. Ultimately, Europe wants to become as independent as possible from raw material imports from abroad. In order to be as efficient as possible when recycling, this part should be taken into account during the design of the car, with the manufacturer providing precise instructions on how to dismantle the car and how individual parts can be replaced. It is quite possible that this will also make repairs and obtaining replacement parts easier. Many drivers would then even benefit from the regulations.
The European Commission proposes the following measures, among others: •“Circular design”: circular design and production •“Recyclate content”: increasing the proportion of recyclate in new vehicles •“More efficient treatment”: improving the treatment of old vehicles •“Higher collection rate”: increasing the collection rate for End-of-life vehicles in the EU and improving the quality of exported used vehicles •“Extended Producer Responsibility”: Creating the right incentives to increase collection rates of end-of-life vehicles and improve waste treatment through extended producer responsibility regimes •“Apply to more vehicles”: Extending the scope of the legislation to other vehicle classes.
