The Belgian region of Wallonia is rigorously fighting cars with combustion engines. In fact, the entire southern part of Belgium will become an environmental zone, where fewer and fewer cars will be welcome from 1 January 2023.
Apart from regular environmental zones, which have been allowed to be established by individual municipalities since this year, Wallonia as a whole is also fighting petrol and especially diesel cars. The introduction of the restrictions is gradual, but the new rules are just as hard for those who consider themselves fans of somewhat older cars.
As a guide to the forbidden also serves the European emission standard this time. Cars without a Euro label or those with a Euro 1 classification are the first to go. From 1 January 2023 it is prohibited to drive such a car into the southern part of Belgium. In practice, this concerns petrol and diesel cars from before 1996.
A year later, it is the turn of the Euro 2 standard, which concerns cars from the period 1997 to 2000. Subsequently, a Euro standard is added every year. Cars from before 2005 are no longer welcome from 2025, cars from before 2010 from 2026.
After January 1, 2026, things will remain quiet in terms of tightening, but from January 1, 2028 this will change again. The restrictions of that year (for the time being) only affect diesel cars that are then no longer welcome from the Euro 5 standard. Please note: this concerns cars from the period 2011 to 2015. Euro 6 diesels will follow in 2030. A car from 2019 can therefore be denied access to Wallonia in ten years, although the measure does not yet apply to the very last Euro 6d. Temp emission standard.
Exceptions
As a small bright spot on the horizon, there are exceptions to the rules. For example, vehicles with emission standard Euro 4 or younger are eligible for a temporary exemption, provided they were purchased before January 1, 2019 and ownership is not transferred. There is also an exception for vehicles that drive less than 3,000 km a year, which makes a category of enthusiasts cars seem safe in any case. There are also exceptions for vehicles of the armed forces, among others, and for vehicles adapted to transport disabled people.
Our Belgian ‘correspondent’ Ken Divjak remarks Drivr.be rightly note that the measures are a major blow to car enthusiasts. Not only because enthusiast cars are often somewhat older than everyday means of transport, but also because the most beautiful roads in Belgium can be found in Wallonia. Moreover, Flanders would work on similar or perhaps even stricter measures.