Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU in charge of leading the negotiations on the so-called ‘Eurovignette’ directive - on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures (see EUROPE 12637/10) - will meet again on Tuesday 23 March.
A first inter-institutional meeting (trilogue) took place at the end of January (see EUROPE 12647/27) to allow the co-legislators to present their respective positions and to launch the work at technical level, with a view to working out compromises. Three technical meetings have taken place since then “constant informal contacts allowed the technical level to advance on the file”, says a Council working document dated 12 March, a copy of which was obtained by EUROPE.
According to the same document, these technical meetings also addressed some political issues, including the obligations introduced by the Council mandate to vary user and infrastructure charges according to the CO2 emissions of vehicles (see EUROPE 12626/7).
The trilogue on 23 March will aim to launch a “more in-depth discussion” on this and three other policy issues, namely: - the scope of the directive (including the regime applicable to vehicles, possible exemptions and mark-up); - the regime applicable to user charges and external cost charges; - the issue of earmarking of revenues.
Finally, it should be noted that the Council working document indicates that some technical aspects “have been or are likely to be reclassified as political aspects”: the provisions on concession contracts, revenue reporting and exemptions for vehicles of historic interest, for example. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)