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Yesterday, MEPs from the Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Committee adopted the compromise on the reform of the Eurovignette Directive, with 30 votes in favour, 16 against and 3 abstentions. Several political groups such the EPP and the Greens/EFA introduced amendments to the text, but all were rejected.

For reference, an informal deal was struck between the Council’s and European Parliament’s negotiators in June 2021. The aim of reform is to move road charging from a time-based model to distance-based or an actual kilometres-driven system, to better reflect the polluter-pays and user-pays principles. After a first vote in the TRAN Committee in July to endorse the compromise, the text was formally adopted by the Council in November. The file needs to be adopted as a second reading by the European Parliament in Plenary session, scheduled for February, before its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.

CLECAT welcomes this vote, as it paves the way for the formal adoption of the long-awaited reform of road charging rules. Earlier this week, CLECAT signed a joint letter together with ECTA members and OEMs to call on MEPs to support the adoption of the Eurovignette Directive. The signatories of the letter note that varying truck tolls according to their climate emissions will provide the long-promised and urgently needed reform to enable the transition to zero emission freight vehicles.

Source: European Parliament