The ruling coalition has a politically unified vision of the plan to confiscate vehicles registered in Russia and Belarus if they do not leave Latvia or are not re-registered, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (JV) told journalists after the coalition meeting.
The ruling coalition has a politically unified vision of the plan to confiscate vehicles registered in Russia and Belarus if they do not leave Latvia or are not re-registered, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (JV) told journalists after the coalition meeting.
The draft law developed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) would actually prevent vehicles registered in Russia and Belarus that have previously entered Latvia from staying in Latvia. In the event that re-registration of the vehicle or departure from Latvia is not carried out within three months, sanctions would follow, including the confiscation of the vehicle.
Siliņa pointed out that the responsible ministries are working on technical solutions, how the databases could determine when the means of transport have entered Latvia, because currently there is no such data. Also, the experts have yet to develop solutions for both the deadline and how the confiscation would be carried out.
“Like other Baltic states, we want to observe the fact that if these vehicles are not exported or registered in due time, relevant sanctions will follow,” said the Prime Minister, emphasizing that a fairly quick and clear solution is needed.
Minister of Economy Viktors Valainis (ZZS) emphasized the necessity of the aforementioned regulation, as it is necessary to think about the safety of the citizens of Latvia. “It is not normal that people ignore Latvian legislation and violate the rules, move on our roads, have a sense of impunity and threaten the safety of our fellow human beings,” said the politician.
Transport Minister Kaspars Briškens (P) expressed the same, emphasizing the aspect of traffic safety. The politician said that drivers of vehicles with Russian or Belarusian license plates violate road traffic rules a lot, and the unpaid fines are said to be measured in several tens of thousands. Brisken emphasized that such a feeling of impunity must be changed urgently.
It has already been reported that, by providing support to the responsible sectors – the Ministries of Transport and the Interior – TM will submit a bill to the Saeima for changes to the legal framework that would prevent vehicles registered in Russia and Belarus from staying in Latvia.
The planned changes would require the owners of vehicles with Russian and Belarusian registration numbers that have entered the territory of Latvia to re-register these vehicles in Latvia within a certain period of time, determine the consequences and responsibility of vehicle owners in the event of non-fulfillment of these obligations, as well as prevent these persons from evading responsibility for non-compliance with road traffic rules.
In the event that re-registration of the vehicle or departure from Latvia is not carried out within three months, sanctions would follow, including the confiscation of the vehicle.
TM’s changes in the legal framework are based on the explanation of the European Commission, which states that the sanctions imposed by the EU against Russia last year also apply to the personal vehicles of Russian citizens with Russian registration, therefore the citizens of the relevant country may not stay in the EU territory with their vehicles.
The draft law is planned to be prepared in the near future, the ministry said. While the details of the bill are still being prepared, the ministry did not comment on the future conditions.
It was also announced that according to the explanations of the European Commission and the opinion given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from September 12 at 6 p.m., persons with vehicles registered in Russia will be prohibited from entering the European Union through the Latvian-Russian and Latvian-Belarusian border crossing points.
