Recently, at the beginning of June, the European Parliament voted the final approval of the proposals on the EU rules permitting member states to impose on heavy vehicles not only charges that cover infrastructure costs, as currently, but an additional charge for covering costs generated by air and phonic pollution. Member states will have a maximum 2 years to transpose the rules into their national legislation, before their implementation.
Also, the recast of the “Eurovignette” Directive in force will permit member states to better manage congestion-related problems, due to the new possibility to amend the charges imposed to heavy vehicles (by up to 175%) depending on the moment of the day. It is important to bear in mind that, following the vote, the incomes coming from new charges will be used for carrying on investments aimed at improving the transport infrastructure (the TEN-T network).
The new rules approved will give member states the opportunity to impose higher charges at peak hours and lower fees during the day, to better manage the traffic and reduce congestion. The decision made permits increasing tariffs in congested areas by up to 175% compared to the average tariff, so that, on the same road section, the highest charges could not be applied but at peak hours (a maximum of five per day), and lower charges during the remaining time intervals.
In practice, the charges implemented for covering external costs would amount to 3-4 cents/km, depending on the Euro category of the vehicle, the area were roads are located and the congestion level. The charge will have to be collected with the help of the electronic systems expected to be fully interoperable at EU level by 2012.
The rules will extend the application field of the “Eurovignette” Directive, so that it could be applied not only for the TEN-T network, as currently, but also to all European highways.
Moreover, the rules stipulate the use of incomes coming from tolls for improving the sustainability of transports. They could offer a strong stimulus in favour of granting new incomes coming from charges to financing different types of transport projects, defined by the directive, such as those on alternative infrastructures, innovating environmentally friendly transport system or safe parking lots. For implementing these dispositions, member states can also decide to grant 15% of the total collected incomes (both from infrastructure charges and fees for covering external costs) for projects related to the Trans-European transport network. It is also stipulated the mandatory character of a transparent notification, which means that member states will have to periodically notify the EU on the way in which incomes coming from the introduction of tolls are spent.
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