It is still the calm before the storm between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, in the context of the negotiations to revise the ‘Eurovignette’ directive on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures.
The second interinstitutional meeting on this subject, which took place on Tuesday 23 March, was once again an opportunity to exchange views on the political aspects of the dossier (see EUROPE 12678/15).
The two sides reiterated their positions, which remain considerably apart, with the EU Council deciding in particular to maintain the time-based fee system, which the Commission and Parliament had intended to get rid of (see EUROPE 12637/10).
The co-legislators could only “agree on the way forward, in order to progress in the negotiations and prepare the next trilogue”, a diplomatic source told EUROPE.
However, each party was comprehensive and defended the merits of its negotiating mandate, particularly with regard to the EU’s environmental commitments, a second institutional source said.
No compromise proposal has yet been put forward, the second source confirmed, who was more doubtful about the ability of the co-legislators to find common ground quickly.
The three hours of discussion finally allowed for the ratification of agreements reached beforehand on certain definitions and other technical points. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)