News

EU floats idea of obligatory lorry charges by 2020

April 19, 2011

The Commission has proposed ending the right of member states to exempt lorries from paying for infrastructure costs. The suggestion, which came as part of the white paper on transport planning for 2050, could impact on negotiations on the Eurovignette, as it would effectively make the Eurovignette directive obligatory.

[mailchimp_signup][/mailchimp_signup]The idea, which is envisaged in two stages in 2016 and 2020, would make charging for pollution, congestion and noise mandatory for all EU members. Existing legislation limits member states on what ‘externalities’ they can charge for, but they can decide whether to charge for infrastructure and external costs. It would apply to rail as well as road.

The white paper contains a number of proposals on lorries, including a suggestion to adapt current rules on weights and dimensions in order to enable freight sector emissions to be cut through having more aerodynamic vehicles.

Related Articles

View All
Report

T&E's annual overview of key transport trends, challenges and achievements

State of Transport 2025

European transport is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, but electric vehicles are on the charge as the EU’s green policies start to bite. Powerin...

Chapter 3.png
Briefing

Truck weights and dimensions: more cargo, lower costs, less road wear

How to enable the shift to zero-emission trucks while safeguarding Europe's road infrastructure

Briefing

Reducing emissions from non-road mobile machinery

How new CO2 rules, public procurement and infrastructure provisions can bring clean, affordable off-road machines to market and establish Europe's ind...