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CLECAT, together with the European Express Association (EEA), has addressed a joint letter to the TRAN Committee of the European Parliament as work continues on the second targeted amendment of the Eurovignette Directive.

In the letter, the associations welcome the European Commission’s proposal to extend the exemption from road charges for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles until 2031. This extension is seen as an important and pragmatic measure, recognising the current barriers to large-scale deployment of zero-emission vehicles, including high vehicle costs, limited charging and grid infrastructure, and broader supply-chain constraints.

At the same time, the joint letter stresses that the Eurovignette framework must do more to support decarbonisation in the short and medium term. While zero-emission technologies remain the long-term objective, many operators are already delivering substantial and immediate CO₂ reductions through so-called bridging technologies, such as biofuels and biogases. These solutions can often be deployed at scale today and play a critical role in reducing emissions over the next five to ten years.

However, CLECAT and EEA highlight that the current treatment of low-emission vehicles under Emissions Class 4 does not adequately reflect their real CO₂-saving potential. In practice, the flat-rate reduction foreseen under the Directive is often insufficient to create a robust business case and does not consistently reward technologies in proportion to their environmental performance. The letter therefore calls for a more proportional, science-based approach, whereby reductions in road charges better mirror verified CO₂ savings, using existing tools and certification methodologies where appropriate.

The associations underline that the Eurovignette remains one of the EU’s most effective instruments to steer decarbonisation in road transport. To be fully effective, it should incentivise both zero-emission vehicles and credible low-emission solutions in parallel, ensuring meaningful emissions reductions can be achieved already in this decade, while paving the way for full zero-emission deployment in the longer term.