Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced the country’s plan to adopt the Euro 5 car standard that stipulates the restriction of import of cars produced before 2013.

“Our desire and decision is that the regulation will come into force from January 1, 2024, for passenger cars, and from January 1, 2025, for buses and trucks. However, the specific dates are still under discussion,” the PM stated at the Cabinet’s meeting.

Garibashvili emphasized that cars of lower quality than the Euro 5 standard will no longer be eligible for registration after the mentioned dates.

According to him, the decision will not affect cars already in the country or those brought in for re-export and transit purposes. This decision addresses environmental pollution. The PM highlighted two significant air pollutants in the country: solid particles and nitrogen dioxide.

“Measurements conducted over the past four years have indicated that outdated and malfunctioning road transport is the primary source of nitrogen dioxide air pollution,” he added.

The Prime Minister says the highest pollution levels are recorded in Tbilisi, the capital city, and other major cities in Georgia.