Directive (EU) 2022/362

What it is

to improve the application of the "polluter pays" and "user pays" principles to promote sustainable road transport. PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament shall decide in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: this initiative is part of the Commission's efforts to create an energy union and from a series of proposals on low-emission transport. It is a follow-up to the Communication " A European strategy for low-emission mobility ". The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the report by Christine REVAULT D'ALLONNES BONNEFOY (S&D, FR) on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 1999/62/EC on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures. The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, exercising its prerogative as an associated committee in accordance with Article 54 of the Rules of Procedure, also gave its opinion on the report. The committee recommended that the European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission proposal as follows: Tolls and user charges : since distance-based pricing (tolls) rather than time-based pricing (vignettes) better reflects actual usage, emission levels and pollution, the Commission proposed to phase out time-based pricing schemes after an appropriate transitional phase. Members considered that road pricing imposed by Member States should be based on distance from 2026 for passenger cars (two years earlier than was proposed by the European Commission) and from 2023 for heavy goods vehicles and vans for the transport of goods. Members considered that road networks covered by an infrastructure charge must afford a high level of road safety, together with all necessary infrastructure facilities, such as safe and secure parking areas, for compliance with the obligations laid down by the regulation on rest periods and driving times. User rights (proportionality and equal treatment) : the proportionality of user charges may take into consideration the specific characteristic of transport operations which start in a Member State on the periphery of the EU. As of 1 January 2020, tolls and user charges applied to heavy duty vehicles shall apply to all heavy duty vehicles, as well as to all vans intended for the carriage of goods fitted with a tachograph. External cost charging : from 1 January 2021, Member States that levy tolls shall apply an external-cost charge for traffic-based air or noise pollution to heavy duty vehicles and to vans intended for the carriage of goods on all parts of the network referred to in Article 7(1) that are subject to an infrastructure charge. From 1 January 2026 onwards, an external-cost charge imposed on any section of the road network shall apply in a non-discriminatory manner to all vehicle categories. Member States may apply derogations which allow external-cost charges to be adjusted for vehicles of historical interest. Congestion charging : Members…

Frequently asked