Energy, Environment & Transport

Bulc says controversial German deal paves way for EU road toll law

German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Violeta Bulc, the EU transport commissioner, have ended their prolonged fight over a controversial German road toll—provoking anger from neighbours but paving the way for a European-wide road tolling scheme next year.

Alexander Dobrindt and Violeta Bulc [European Commission]

Catherine Stupp Euractiv 02-12-2016 07:30 5 min. read Content type: Euractiv is part of the Trust Project
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Background

German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt has championed new road tolls that would charge vehicles driving on German roads. Many Germans are frustrated over road tolls in neighbouring countries (including France, Austria and Switzerland), while foreigners use German highways for free.

The Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Merkel's Conservative CDU, has been requesting for many years that higher road tolls be introduced for foreign car drivers using German roads. This was included in the coalition agreement, which promises to introduce "a motor vehicle toll in compliance with EU law, by which owners of cars not registered in Germany would help finance additional spending on the highway network. Cars registered [in Germany] should not suffer higher costs."

But the scheme irked the European Commission because vehicles registered in Germany would be reimbursed for those charges, while vehicles registered outside the country would not be.

The European Commission launched an infringement procedure against the law and is determining whether it discriminates on drivers based on nationality, something that would be illegal under EU law.

In December 2015, the Commission requested more information from the German government about the law. Germany has until 10 February 2016 to respond. Dobrindt criticised the Commission for delaying the law and maintained that the tolls are compliant with EU law.

The Commission referred an infringement case against the German law to the European Court of Justice in September 2016 but stopped the case two months later when Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc brokered an agreement with Dobrindt over a comprise road toll law.

Updated: 29-09-2024

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