site.btaEuropean Commission Urges Bulgaria, 15 Other EU Countries to Introduce Pollution-Based Truck Charging Rules

The European Commission Friday insisted that Bulgaria and 15 other EU countries fully implement the EU rules, which provide for road charges for trucks to be in line with the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by their operation.

Adopted originally in 1999, the Directive 1999/62/EC (Eurovignette) sets common rules on distance-based charges (tolls) and time-based user charges (vignettes) for the use of road infrastructure. These rules stipulate that the cost of constructing, operating, and maintaining infrastructure can be recovered through tolls and vignettes. The amending Directive (EU) 2022/362 extended the rules to include passenger cars and small heavy-duty vehicles. The Directive also mandates the internalization of the external costs linked to air pollution and introduced a new system, requiring Member States to impose payments based on the CO2 emissions of heavy-duty vehicles. This measure contributes to decarbonising road freight transport by encouraging the deployment of heavy-duty vehicles with lower CO2 emissions. 

By the end of March 2024, EU countries had to report to the EC how they had implemented the changes in national legislation. So far, this obligation has not been met by Bulgaria, Belgium, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia. The EC is giving a two-month deadline starting May 24.