On Wednesday 18 October, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) voted through an opinion on the review of the Eurovignette directive (1999/62/EC) backing the text proposed by the European Commission on 30 May (see EUROPE 11799).
The text defended by Alberto Mazzola (Italy) was broadly backed by the members of the EESC who voted 119 to 2 in favour with 6 abstentions. The European Commission’s proposal puts an end to the vignette system setting prices for the use of road infrastructure in line with the duration of travel, instead generalising a toll road system whose price depends on the distance travelled. The report says this will have a positive impact on infrastructure and fighting pollution. The rapporteur said the proposal was compatible with the polluter pays principle.
The EESC says that it was important to update the legal system for charging for road infrastructure and sees the review of the Eurovignette directive as an opportunity to set harmonised common standards.
Its members say that the text should apply flexibly in remote rural, mountain and island areas to avoid the impact of the future directive from being inversely proportional to the costs.
The EESC calls on the European Commission to conduct a study to assess the impact of the directive two years after it comes into force. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)