Fleets operating in Portugal are finding it increasingly difficult to book vehicles in for essential tests.

Portugal’s equivalent of the MOT car testing system is now coming under intense criticism after it was found that legal restrictions there are limiting the number of inspection centres.

As a result, the European Court of Justice may order that the current legal restrictions be removed.

Indeed, the European Commission has stated that it thinks the Portuguese government is breaking EU freedom of trade restrictions by maintaining the rules.

This it says may be preventing the operation of a sufficient number of inspection centres.

Brussels is concerned that Portuguese government regulators must deem a new inspection centre to be “in the public interest”.

This is addition to rules that operators must have a minimum share capital of Euro 100,000; and that their company and its managers must only carry out vehicle inspections is making it too restrictive to establish new test centres.