Old, polluting diesel and petrol-powered vehicles with foreign licence plates can enter zero-emissions zones in Dutch cities without being fined because the number plate cameras are not permitted to register foreign vehicles, junior transport minister Chris Jansen has told parliament.

Under current European regulations, cameras that automatically issue fines based on number plate recognition cannot be used to identify foreign-registered vehicles. The Netherlands has lobbied for change, but has been unsuccessful, Jansen said in his latest two-monthly update on zero emissions zones.

The Netherlands already has agreements in place with countries such as Belgium and Germany for processing traffic offences, and Jansen said he expects it will soon be possible to include Belgian vehicles in the camera system. Their owners could then receive fines sent to their home address.

However, including German licence plates remains a challenge, Jansen said, because Germany only shares data after a proven offence.

It is unclear how many foreign vehicles are currently entering the zones without authorisation. However, research in Rotterdam suggests around 3% of all vehicles entering the city’s zone had foreign licence plates.

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Currently 16 councils in the Netherlands have active zero-emissions zones, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven, Groningen and Zwolle. A further 12 councils are expected to introduce such zones in the coming months and years.

The zones are designed to gradually exclude the most polluting commercial vehicles and over time, only fully emissions-free delivery vans and trucks will be allowed to enter.

No fines are issued for any drivers in the first six months after the zones are introduced.