MEPs urge revision of 'ineffective' EU road tolls strategy

The European Parliament has today voted in favour of a fairer, simpler and more effective EU road tolling system as outlined in a report by EPP Group Member Jim Higgins.

“I am strongly urging the European Commission to revise the current “ineffective” Electronic Road Tolling System (EETS) and establish a fairly priced, easier system which uses available technology on an EU-wide basis,” Mr Higgins said after MEPs adopted his report.

In his report, a strategy for an electronic toll service and a vignette system on light private vehicles in Europe, Mr Higgins outlines the “failure” of the current electronic road charging system to function.

“Currently, we have many different road charging systems across the EU. It had originally been envisaged that road users could travel across Europe, through all road tolls, using one simple on-board electronic unit that could be scanned on use with fees payable to one central receiver.

“There is no technological excuse to prevent e-tolling in such a simple manner. However, stakeholders and providers seem unwilling to adapt to an EU-wide system. I strongly urge the Commission to revise the strategy to establishing much stronger regulatory oversight in light of the EETS short-comings.

“The pricing of road tolls must also be amended to reflect the ‘polluter pays’ principle. It is unfair that a weekly toll fee can be up to four times more expensive than that of a monthly or yearly fee (vignette).”

Mr Higgins has also pressed the Commission to fully examine the possibility of introducing barrier-free tolling to improve traffic flow across the Single Market.

“The European institutions need to work together to ensure the regulatory framework exits to support the implementation of a harmonised system,” Mr Higgins concluded.

The Parliament approved report will now be forwarded to the Commission for consideration.