The third inter-institutional negotiation meeting ('trilogue') on Tuesday 20 November, between the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and representatives of the European Parliament, on the Directive on the interoperability of electronic toll systems, was a success, with both sides reaching agreement on a text.
"New directive will facilitate cross-border exchange of information regarding pay road fees", Thomas Oberreiter, Deputy Permanent Representative of Austria to the European Union, welcomed on Twitter . "We created a harmonised and simplified service capable of creating huge benefits, helping both European citizens and firms save hundreds of millions of euros", Massimiliano Salini (EPP, Italy), European Parliament rapporteur on this issue, has himself welcomed this.
This agreement echoes the European Commission's proposal of 31 May 2017 repealing Directive 2004/52/EC (see EUROPE 11799). This is the only proposal in this first mobility package to today be the subject of an interinstitutional agreement, while discussions are ongoing on social aspects and aspects of the market, with some difficulty, in the Council and the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12138). "I’m proud to see that the First Mobility Package is starting to bear fruit", said Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Transport.
Two previous meetings had been held in July and then in September, but questions remained unanswered (see EUROPE 12062, 12104). The negotiators thus agreed on the exchange of information between private sector operators in the event of non-payment of a motorway charge by an offender in a Member State other than their country of residence and this part also applies to urban toll roads.
The agreement also provides that, four years after the entry into force of the text, the Commission shall submit a report on the application of the new Directive, including a proposal on the extension of the provisions of the text to low emission zones.
The question of the delegated and implementing acts that will be taken by the Commission in the application of this text has been discussed at length, and agreements, sometimes quite complex, have been reached.
This interinstitutional agreement must now receive the formal green light from the European Parliament and the Council. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)