Belgium: EC proposes Europe-wide eco-based road tolls for heavy trucks

By: Alan Bunting, Tuesday, July 22, 2008,

AutomotiveWorld.com

The European Commission is to revise its 'Eurovignette' road charging rules to make member states more aware of the environmental costs of road freight transport.

Under the new proposal, charges would cover pollution and congestion costs. They would be dependent on road type (e.g. motorway, cross-country road or urban street), emission law certification class (e.g. Euro 3, 4 or 5) and driving time (obtainable from tachograph data).

With 2010 as the target date for implementation, national governments would, says the commission, set their own overall charge levels but make use of formulae included in the proposals so as to establish a similar relative scale of charges across the EU.

The Brussels-based commission foresees a first review of the scheme in 2013, at which time it will assess whether the road use charges for trucks should be made mandatory.

Published on Tuesday, July 22, 2008