By Henrietta Billings - 11th June 2004
Europe's transport ministers remain at loggerheads over truck road toll plans after talks broke up on Friday night without agreement.
The continuing deadlock is a blow for Dublin, dashing hopes of a deal under Ireland's EU presidency.
"I deeply regret that notwithstanding great efforts during our presidency, it was not possible to reach an agreement," Irish transport minister Seamus Brennan told reporters in Luxembourg.
"This is a great disappointment to me, but unfortunately, despite further efforts on our part, it was not possible to secure majority support for the text on the table".
Under the so-called 'Eurovignette' plans, Brussels wants to align national toll and road charge systems for lorries using a 'polluter-pays' principle where drivers would pay for the infrastructure they use.
Progress had been made in a number of areas including the level of tolls, and mark ups for trucks travelling through environmentally sensitive and urban areas.
But the outstanding issue on this dossier remained the earmarking of revenue collected from the tolls - and with 25 EU capitals split roughly fifty- fifty on the issue it was impossible to reach an agreement.
The dossier will now go back to working group level before talks begin again under the Dutch presidency.
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