Strasbourg, 19/12/2003 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption on Thursday of the report by CDU member Renate Sommer (codecision, first reading) on the proposal of directive concerning the generalisation and interoperability of electronic road pricing systems, the European Parliament amended the proposal beginning by removing the word "generalisation" from the title. Furthermore, it calls on Member States to comply with the directive by 30 June 2005 at the latest instead of 30 June 2004 (Ed. the difficulties caused to Transport Minister Manfred Stolpe over recent months for brining in the electronic pricing system are well known). Another date is also deferred. According to the Parliament, the Member States should undertake to ensure that at least 50% of the traffic flow can use electronic payment by 1 January 2007, when the proposal of directive affirms that they must mainly ensure that, by 2005 at the very latest, at least 50% of the lanes leading to tolls should be equipped with electronic payment systems. Also, the European electronic payment service which, according to the proposal, should be created in 1 January 2005, would, according to the Parliament's first reading, be a contractual body with rules for electronic pricing created on 1 January 2007. Regarding the controversial question of the compulsory use of satellites for the European electronic pricing system, when the proposal of directive states that the new technologies for satellite location (GNSS) and mobile communications (GSM/SPRS), applied to electronic pricing, should allow the requirements of the new tariff policies to be met, the Parliament prefers the wording "may allow" even if it admits that it would be necessary to recommend, in principle, the use of satellite location and mobile communications technologies when introducing new electronic pricing systems.
During the debate, most MEPs agreed on the principle - of ensuring interoperability of European road electronic pricing systems - but clearly rejected the European Commission's proposals to make the use of satellites compulsory for the electronic pricing system from 2012. This position is along the lines of that expressed by the Transport Council on 5 December (EUROPE of 9 December).
Renate Sommer stressed that she could not accept the Commission's arguments in favour of compulsory use of satellite technology from 2012. "This new technology has not worked till now therefore does not exist", she insisted, recalling that the German example over recent months has certainly not been a success. Also, for Ms Sommer, it is up to the market and the Member States and not the Commission to choose the technique to be used. "The Commission has behaved like the German Transport Ministers and wants to impose technologies on us which are not ready", the Luxembourg Green member Claude Turmes said. Greek national Konstantinos Hatzidakisu (Nea Demokratia), French Socialist Gilles Savary, Freddy Blak (GUE/NGL, Denmark), and German Green member Elisabeth Schroedter rejected, with the rapporteur, the obligation of using the satellite system and reaching a single system in this connection. Mr Savary added that his group was in favour of reviewing the timetable proposed by the Commission for introducing a European road electronic pricing system (Ed.: for lorries, buses and coaches and 2010 for cars), which is "quite simply unrealistic". This stance is shared by Mr Hatzidakis on behalf of the EPP/ED.
Loyola di Palacio, Transport Commissioner, believes the migration toward the satellite system is the "only solution for the future". The "lack of commitment" in favour of this solution "would not be consistent" with the EU's resolve to develop the satellite navigation system Galileo, she added. Recognising that most Member States wished the two solutions could exist at the same time (satellite technology and microwave technology), she called on MEPs to "firmly recommend the satellite system" to send the "adequate signal to the sector which is investing".