It was drafted by members of the “Alternative” faction. According to the bill’s authors, such vehicles become hotbeds of infection and pose a real environmental hazard due to leaks of oil, antifreeze, and acids into the soil and groundwater.
Private property rights prevented removal
Due to a legislative vacuum over the past three decades, local authorities and the police lacked the legal tools to seize these assets, as private property rights prevented any intervention, even when the vehicles had become scrap metal.
The legislative initiative proposes a five-step structured procedure to address this issue.
The process begins with the identification and assessment of the vehicle’s condition by local authorities, followed by official notification of the owner. The owner will have 10 days to move their vehicle or notify the authorities.
Otherwise, the vehicle will be towed to a special secure parking lot. This is followed by a procedure to locate the owner through the police and government registries. If the owner does not come forward after these steps, the vehicle becomes the property of the municipality and may be sold or scrapped.
A Tool for Local Authorities
Deputy Olga Ursu, a co-author of the bill, emphasized that the initiative protects bona fide owners, who can retrieve their vehicle at any stage of the procedure and appeal decisions in court.
At the same time, the law is designed so as not to create additional costs for the state budget.
“We are not shifting the problem to the central administration, but rather offering mayors and local councils a real and effective tool for restoring order in their territories,” explained MP Olga Ursu. “The costs of towing and storage are covered either by the owner who retrieves their property or through the scrapping of vehicles recycled into scrap metal, which also complies with European directives on the circular economy.”
Representatives of the faction called on all political forces in parliament to support this bill.
By adopting it, Moldova will align itself with European practices, including those in Romania, where similar mechanisms have been operating successfully for over 20 years.
