Press Release: Second hand cars: Commission takes action against Czech barriers to trade

The European Commission on 18 March 2005 decided to send the Czech Republic a formal request for information concerning obstacles to the registration of imported second hand cars in the Czech Republic. The Commission had received complaints about the conditions imposed by Czech legislation on the registration of imported second hand cars which appeared to be stricter than the conditions imposed on the re-registration of second hand cars already circulating in the Czech Republic and seemed even to prohibit the registration of a certain category of imported used cars. The Commission was concerned that the Czech legislation may constitute an unnecessary and disproportionate barrier to the free movement of second hand cars in the Internal Market, in violation of the EC Treaty rules (Articles 28-30).