In order to avoid a crisis in the second-hand market and stagnation in the transition to a cleaner vehicle fleet, the two MEPs believe that Europe should pay for itself to stimulate a lively trade in second-hand cars. ,,Because going green when you’re red, that’s not possible,” says De Lange.
The Parliament negotiators – who will have to deal with the Commission and Member States later this year – want to limit their support to zero and low-emission cars from the lower half of the segment, and that in terms of price determined by Member State because car prices are traditionally rather to vary. In addition, they want support for low-emission cars to be phased out quickly, in order to push consumers towards electric as much as possible. The European Commission itself already had financial and fiscal instruments in mind to increase the share of cleaner cars more quickly, but setting up or stimulating a market in second-hand cars was not one of them.