Norway bans entry of cars with Russian registration

The last country bordering the Russian Federation, Norway, decided to ban the entry of cars with Russian license plates, finally closing the “window to Europe.”

Prior to this, a similar decision was made by the Baltic countries, Poland and Finland, reports Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known by its abbreviation NRK. Secretary of State Eivind Vad Petersson announced the ban:

“Like Finland, Norway will introduce restrictions on the import and use of cars with Russian registration in the country. We are currently studying how to do this and will present concrete measures soon.”

Norway is not a member of the European Union, but is part of the European Economic Area and is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association. Oslo complies with most sanctions EU against the Russian Federation.

Finland banned the entry of cars with Russian registration on September 16. Customs promised to turn around such cars if they try to enter the country across the border with Norway – this is also considered a violation of sanctions. Cars with Russian license plates located in Finland have been given until March 16, 2024 to leave the country. According to the customs service, on September 16–17, 81 cars from the Russian Federation arrived at the Suomi border, 37 of them were not allowed through.

Earlier entry of passenger cars with Russian registration banned Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. At the same time, the latter’s authorities stated that such cars “must be confiscated” in accordance with the EC’s interpretation of sanctions. Restrictions do not apply to the transit of cars through Lithuania to the Kaliningrad region and back.

Poland introduced similar measures on September 17. The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mariusz Kaminski, said:

“Now, no vehicle registered in the Russian Federation, commercial or private, has the right to enter Poland, regardless of whether its owner is a citizen of Russia or another country.”

Previously, the European Commission stated that entry into the European Union with cars registered in the Russian Federation will be regarded as “illegal import”, regardless of whether the vehicle is used for private or commercial purposes.

At the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to restrict the entry of Russian cars into the European Union. Commenting on the decision of individual EU member states to ban the entry of cars with Russian registration, the Foreign Ministry pointed to the “harm caused to ordinary Russians.” The ministry regards the actions of the European Commission as “openly provoking EU member states to increase discrimination against Russians on the basis of nationality.” The Russian Foreign Ministry called on citizens to weigh the risks when traveling to the European Union.

Source link