Almost 1,000 cars have been crushed this year in Romania since the Cash-for-Clunkers (Rabla) program started on March 16.

“Last year we had one of the most successful programs, because we crushed 189.200 cars, on a budget of around EUR 171 million. This led to a healthier environment, because those cars don’t pollute anymore, and we are thankful that this happened because we have responsibilities to EU regarding air quality”, said Laszlo Boberly, the Romanian Minister of Environment and Forestry.

There are currently almost 1,8 million cars older than 10 years in Romania, “which means we have an old car park that needs to be renewed,” Laszlo Boberly has added.

The 2011 edition of the national cash-for-clunkers program is open to companies and public bodies, which were banned from buying new cars in 2010. Companies and public institutions can join the program from March 21. This year's budget for the Clunkers program is of around EUR 54.2 million and allows for 60,000 old cars to be taken out of use.

Alexandru Camburu, alex.camburu@romania-insider.com