Gov't vows to maintain used-car ban
The government said last week it will not soften its stance on secondhand car imports, despite pressure by car importers looking to overturn regulations imposed last month prohibiting damaged cars from entering the country.
Poland introduced the ban to stimulate sales of new cars, which plunged 25% last year to 480,000 units compared to 1999, while imports of secondhand cars soared by 220,000 in the same period.
In protest, used-car importers last Wednesday presented a petition to Deputy Economy Minister Edward Nowak requesting that the government reinstate their right to import second-hand cars, to specify what it means by "damaged," and to begin using a secondhand car book in which all repairs for such vehicles would be registered.
Deputy Economy Minister Edward Nowak said after the talks that the government would not rescind the regulations. "Maintaining the current scale of imports of these cars would impose a danger to the ecology of the country, the safety of people on the roads, and the balanced development of the car industry," Nowak said.
New-car manufacturers, unsettled by the government's scheduled talks with secondhand car importers, also met with the government last week to lobby for retaining the recently imposed regulations. "We wanted to make sure that we are not endangered by a sudden twist in (government) politics," said Zbigniew Mularski, head of the Auto Compol Renault Dealership and president of the Association of Authorized Renault Dealers.
New-car dealerships, which laid off 20% of their workforce last year due to poor sales, may be forced to sack up to 30% of their 75,000 employees if the market does not improve, Mularski said. He added that imported secondhand cars are often shabbily repaired and do not meet safety standards, resulting in increased numbers of road accidents.
Dealers also said the used-car sector is a haven for corrupt customs officers and thieves dealing in stolen auto parts. "The ministry has a similar understanding of the situation," Mularski said.
Despite the government's position, Nowak said it could accept some of the importers' petitions. "If the methods applied are too strong, we will develop procedures that may to some extent weaken barriers for imports of secondhand cars," Nowak said.
The ministry is also considering changing customs regulations that will allow the import of old cars only in cases where they will be quickly exported, for example to countries to the east. The government has to balance the interests of producers, businessmen and consumers, Nowak added.
