By Henrietta Billings - 21st April 2005
EU governments have hammered out a deal on European Commission plans to harmonise truck tolls - after three previous failed attempts to reach agreement.
The deal, reached by EU transport ministers on Thursday ends long running disagreements which had pitched periphery member states against so-called transit states like France, Germany and Austria.
Luxembourg transport minister and head of the rotating EU presidency Lucien Lux welcomed the "very important agreement" which he said would have an important impact of the future of European transport policy.
Under the compromise, based largely on a Dutch EU presidency's text, all vehicles weighing 3.5 tonnes and above will be covered.
And member states will be able to hike up the charges depending on the environmental impact of the lorries, the time of travel and the size of the vehicle.
Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said Thursday's agreement was made in the "long term interest of the EU".
"Eurovignette will reduce congestion on Europe's roads. It will diminish pollution. It will make competition in the transportation of goods fairer by imposing a European method for the calculation of road tolls," he said.
Governments will be free to spend the money raised from the tolls as they see fit, although money raised from the mark-up will invested into alternative transport methods.
The mark-up agreed includes 15 per cent price increase for mountainous regions and 25 per cent for the trans-frontier sections in mountainous regions.
But the deal has met with dismay from the road lobby.
The European Union Road Federation called the plans a "wasted opportunity for European Transport", arguing the money collected from the tolls should be invested back into road transport.
The "Eurovignette will do little to solve the real questions raised by increasing traffic flows combined with a shortage of road infrastructure", it said.
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