The EU reached a provisional deal on updated electronic road toll rules. Under the reform, national authorities will have access to other Member States’ national vehicle registration data in order to identify owners of vehicles for which road fees have not been paid.
The information exchange relates to fees to be paid electronically or manually for using road infrastructure. The possible administrative or legal consequences will depend on the national law of the country where the fee was left unpaid.
The new rules will also remove administrative barriers, such as local technical specifications, and give electronic tolling providers easier access to the toll collection market.
The new measures will become applicable 30 months after the entry into force of the directive.
This is the first proposal in the three Mobility Packages to be agreed on between the Council and the Parliament. Once the agreed text has undergone legal and linguistic finalisation it must be formally adopted, first by the Parliament and then by the Council. Following adoption, the directive will be published in the EU’s Official Journal.
ESC welcomes this development as it ensures a level playing field and can be seen as a small step towards a more harmonised European transport market.