Transport Committee proposes changes to Eurovignette directive
Monday, 16 February 2009 16:49 | 
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MEPs in the transport Committee voted on proposals to change the 1999 Eurovignette directive, with several important amendments being approved. There was however some division within the Committee with the final compromise proposal only being adopted with 31 votes in favour, with 16 MEPs against.
The report which was prepared by Belgian Socialist MEP Saïd El Khadraoui, proposes the implementation of congestion charges for heavy-goods vehicles provided that similar charges are imposed on private cars, and on the further condition that appropriate impact assessments are made. Members of the EPP-ED group had argued that imposing congestion charges solely on lorries would not only be a heavy burden on the sector in the current economic climate, but would also be discriminatory, given that private cars also contribute towards congestion.
Lorries would also have to pay for noise and air pollution under the agreement, although Committee members decided not to include CO2 emissions in the final text. There had been division on this issue, as some MEPs argued that such emissions should be included on the grounds of lorries’ significant contribution to climate change, but the fact that emissions are already taken into consideration in fuel taxation meant that others were against their inclusion.
Meanwhile a further amendment was approved concerning the allocation of revenue generated from Eurovignette charges MEPs agreed to earmark this money for improving environmental standards of vehicles and developing alternative transport infrastructure. A ‘mark-up’ cost for roads in mountainous regions and conurbations has also been introduced, with the extra generated revenue going towards investment into alternative parallel transport links.
It was also decided that the Eurovignette rules should be extended to cover not only trans-European road networks, but also to roads ‘which customarily carry a significant volume of international goods transport’.
The outcome has been criticised by Transport and Environment (T&E), an environmental NGO, who condemned the fact that MEPs ‘voted to water down the Commission proposal’. This referred to the decision to only charge lorries for congestion, if corresponding charges were imposed on the private car sector. The International Road Transport Union (IRU) by contrast, were unhappy with introduction of extra charges, in view of the current economic context.
A plenary vote is now scheduled at the European Parliament on 10 March.
The report which was prepared by Belgian Socialist MEP Saïd El Khadraoui, proposes the implementation of congestion charges for heavy-goods vehicles provided that similar charges are imposed on private cars, and on the further condition that appropriate impact assessments are made. Members of the EPP-ED group had argued that imposing congestion charges solely on lorries would not only be a heavy burden on the sector in the current economic climate, but would also be discriminatory, given that private cars also contribute towards congestion.
Lorries would also have to pay for noise and air pollution under the agreement, although Committee members decided not to include CO2 emissions in the final text. There had been division on this issue, as some MEPs argued that such emissions should be included on the grounds of lorries’ significant contribution to climate change, but the fact that emissions are already taken into consideration in fuel taxation meant that others were against their inclusion.
Meanwhile a further amendment was approved concerning the allocation of revenue generated from Eurovignette charges MEPs agreed to earmark this money for improving environmental standards of vehicles and developing alternative transport infrastructure. A ‘mark-up’ cost for roads in mountainous regions and conurbations has also been introduced, with the extra generated revenue going towards investment into alternative parallel transport links.
It was also decided that the Eurovignette rules should be extended to cover not only trans-European road networks, but also to roads ‘which customarily carry a significant volume of international goods transport’.
The outcome has been criticised by Transport and Environment (T&E), an environmental NGO, who condemned the fact that MEPs ‘voted to water down the Commission proposal’. This referred to the decision to only charge lorries for congestion, if corresponding charges were imposed on the private car sector. The International Road Transport Union (IRU) by contrast, were unhappy with introduction of extra charges, in view of the current economic context.
A plenary vote is now scheduled at the European Parliament on 10 March.
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