Romania's long-running Rabla scrappage programme could be redrawn for 2027 to favour cars produced in Europe — and the economy minister wants to go a step further, arguing the scheme should give priority to vehicles built in Romania. The call has backing from PSD, which says Rabla should channel its incentives toward domestically produced cars.
The industrial logic is straightforward in a country that hosts Dacia's plant at Mioveni and Ford's factory in Craiova: tying public incentives to production origin would keep subsidy money inside the local economy and support jobs along the supply chain. For importers and brands shipping vehicles into Romania, the message is equally blunt — access to one of the region's best-known scrappage schemes may soon depend on where a car is built.
The Rabla debate lands as the EU's rulebook shifts under the industry's feet. From 29 November 2026, passenger cars submitted for new type-approval fall under the Euro 7 regulation, which for the first time sets limits for particulate emissions — bringing brakes, including those of electric vehicles, under pollution control, Info Huedin reports. Brake suppliers and EV makers serving CEE plants now have one more compliance line on the homologation checklist.
Further afield, the UK car industry is set to press the EU for a two-year delay to post-Brexit EV tariffs, The Guardian reports. The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) has already warned that the tariffs are a serious concern for Europe's automotive industry — a message that carries weight in Central and Eastern Europe, where export-driven plants are closely tied to UK-EU trade flows.
Closer to the driver's seat, Romanians living in Italy or transiting the country should watch planned changes to the Italian Highway Code, which include clearer right-of-way rules at roundabouts, Observator News reports — relevant both for the large Romanian community there and for freight and tourist traffic crossing the peninsula.
For buyers and dealers alike, these policy currents — from Rabla eligibility to Euro 7 homologation — boil down to one practical question: which vehicle to choose, and when. Anyone weighing a purchase can compare offers and find sensational cars at sensational conditions at WorldTrader24, Europe's marketplace with over 70,000 vehicles.
