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The Council has agreed on its negotiating mandate for targeted amendments to the Eurovignette Directive, aiming to clarify and simplify the EU rules governing road tolls and user charges for heavy-duty vehicles. The changes are designed primarily to improve legal certainty and ensure the consistent application of CO2-based charging rules, which will become increasingly relevant as new EU emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles begin to take effect from July 2026.

The Council’s position focuses on clarifying several key definitions in the directive, including those related to zero-emission and low-emission vehicles, vehicle groups, emission reduction trajectories and reference CO2 emissions. It also specifies the point in time from which CO2-based variation of road charges should apply to different vehicle sub-groups and introduces uniform timelines for the implementation of updated reference emissions values. These clarifications are intended to ensure that road charging systems can smoothly integrate the forthcoming CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles and provide greater predictability for both operators and national administrations.

Another issue addressed in the Council position concerns retrofitting. While certain technical modifications, whether through software updates or physical upgrades, can reduce a vehicle’s emissions, the current framework does not allow such vehicles to be reclassified into a different CO2 emission class. The Council therefore invites the European Commission to assess, within two years, possible policy options regarding retrofitted electric vehicles.  The Council decided not to pursue the proposed introduction of toll reductions linked to more sustainable trailers. Member States considered that this measure could create additional administrative burdens, complicate toll pricing structures and potentially interfere with existing concession contracts, while also risking unintended incentives for combinations of efficient trailers with higher-emission trucks.

The Council is ready to enter negotiations with the European Parliament once the Parliament has agreed on its position.

The Council has agreed on its negotiating mandate for targeted amendments to the Eurovignette Directive, aiming to clarify and simplify the EU rules governing road tolls and user charges for heavy-duty vehicles. The changes are designed primarily to improve legal certainty and ensure the consistent application of CO₂-based charging rules, which will become increasingly relevant as new EU emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles begin to take effect from July 2026.