Céline Tellier (Ecolo), the Walloon Minister for the Environment, will propose to the Wallonia Regional Government to delay the ban on heavily polluting vehicles until 2025.
Behind the decision, the minister cited concerns that the current economic crisis will make it harder for households to replace their automobiles.
On the LN24 news channel on Tuesday, Tellier expressed her desire for vehicles that do not meet European emission standards to be prohibited in 2025, two years after the initial deadline.
She added that one of her main concerns was that the affected automobile owners may not be able to afford a new replacement vehicle due to the rampant inflation caused by the current energy crisis.
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Furthermore, she stated that the postponement would have little impact on air quality because just 0.31% of automobiles in Wallonia are not in line with European emission standards (which represents 4,500 households).
To temper concerns, she indicated that all other steps will go as planned, and would even be supplemented by accompanying measures.
