ITALY FACES COURT ACTION OVER EUROVIGNETTE NON-COMPLIANCE
Italy is facing escalating legal and financial pressure over its failure to correctly transpose the Eurovignette Directive, following a formal referral by the European Commission to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
According to the notice published in the Official Journal on 16 March, the Commission initiated proceedings on 30 January, requesting the Court to impose significant financial penalties. The proposed sanctions include a lump sum payment calculated as the higher of either a daily penalty of €42,251 multiplied by the duration of the infringement, or a minimum fixed amount of €10.717 million if non-compliance persists at the time of the judgment. In addition, the Commission is seeking a further daily penalty of €227,494.08 from the date of the Court’s ruling until Italy fully complies with its obligations.
The Eurovignette Directive, which governs the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructure, requires Member States to align their tolling systems with EU principles, including non-discrimination and environmental differentiation.