There is no threat of classic cars being scrapped by the state or the EU
At first glance, we received some worrying news that there were to be new regulations in the EU that would prohibit anyone from restoring an old car or prescribe how this should be done. There was even talk of forced scrapping. One of the sources cited was "freiewelt.net".
We have spoken to various industry experts and can give the all-clear.
Carsten Müller, Member of the German Bundestag and Chairman of the Parliamentary Group on Automotive Cultural Assets in the German Bundestag, has summarized the issue in a way that is easy to understand:
"This is simply false and inaccurate fake news. It may indeed be the case that one or two vehicles of a 300SL Gullwing used as an example in the article will be scrapped by order. However, this will in no way be based on the revision of the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive, but will be due to other circumstances.
By deliberately distorting the contents of the draft revision of the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive, the purely politically motivated scaremongering of the authors becomes obvious. When colorful birds tell you something about the horse, it has nothing to do with facts, but rather other goals are being pursued. The intentions here are obvious. The author of the absurd essay bears the surname von Storch and is married to the member of the Bundestag von Storch.
On November 10, 2023, a very objective discussion on the revision of the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive unfolded in the parliamentary group on automotive cultural heritage in the German Bundestag; incidentally, members of the AfD parliamentary group were also present, but did not actively participate with their own contributions or questions.
On the matter itself: On July 13, 2023, the European Commission published the ' Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on requirements for the circular design of vehicles and on the disposal of end-of-life vehicles, amending Regulations (EU) 2018/858 and (EU) 2019/1020 and repealing Directives 2000/53/EC and 2005/64/EC' [COM (2023) 451 final] . The revision of the regulation aims to conserve resources and make more efficient use of raw materials in the automotive industry. The recycling of vehicles is to be sustainably improved. Historic vehicles are specifically excluded from the draft in Chapter 1, Article 2, No. 2d). The European legislator is therefore deliberately excluding classic cars and acting exactly contrary to the statements in the fake news reports!
It is also true that the classic car scene has been constructively involved in the drafting of the proposal from the outset, as the definition of historic vehicles is still too narrow in the draft regulation. Regulations on spare parts and bureaucratic hurdles also need to be revised. But we will continue to work on this together and in a coordinated manner at national and European level for as long as the debates on the proposal continue in the European committees. This will also be the case in the coming calendar year. Nobody has to fear that their collector's car will be scrapped on the basis of the regulation, which has yet to be finalized."
Yes, you shouldn't be fooled by everything that is spread on the internet.
