Romania grants subsidies to boost electric car sales

Romania will grant up to 3,700 euros in subsidies to those buying electric cars in a bid to stimulate sales of more environmentally friendly vehicles, the government said Wednesday.

"This decision is very important for the healthy future of Romanian citizens," Environment Minister Laszlo Borbely said in a statement.

Every electric car will enjoy a subsidy of 20 percent of the price up to a maximum of 3,700 euros while there will also be help for buyers of hybrid cars.

Romania also wants to support companies investing in facilities to charge electric cars.

The number of cars has soared in Romania since the fall of the Communist regime, from 1.3 million in the 1990s to more than four million in 2008, according to official statistics.

At the beginning of March, Bucharest ranked last in an EU-funded study on air pollution in 25 major European cities, mainly because of traffic pollution.