Road charging

Truck emissions and the Pandora’s Box of ambition

EU lawmakers are currently tinkering with the European Commission’s first attempt to regulate heavy-duty vehicle CO2 emissions. But a debate is now raging about how strict those cuts should be and how soon they should be enforced.

A future tax on foreign lorries which ‘only cross over France’?

The French government is thinking about taxing foreign heavy goods vehicles but François de Rugy, the new minister of ecological transition, denies the return of a “green tax”.  EURACTIV France's media partner Ouest-France reports.

Electric trucks are necessary and coming anyway

Electric trucks will come – and fast. More and more studies show that they are not only feasible to build, but also profitable to operate. And zero emission trucks will be needed to meet the Paris climate goals, write Stef Cornelis and Thomas Earl.

MEPs back road tolls based on CO2 emissions

Road tolls for trucks should be based on how much CO2 vehicles emit, according to a draft report adopted by the European Parliament’s transport committee on Thursday (24 May).

For whom the road tolls?

The European Commission's proposal to phase-out of car vignettes is fully in line with the treaties and the EU executive has every right to table legislation to that effect, argues Samuel Kenny.

Electric mobility’s time has come

“You can resist an invading army; you cannot resist an idea whose time has come.” Victor Hugo obviously was not referring to electric mobility when he wrote these stirring lines, but his words would have been just as fitting, writes Alberto Piglia.

Transport sucks up nearly half of Europe’s fossil fuel subsidies, report finds

European countries spend more than €112 billion per year subsidising oil, gas and coal production or consumption – including tax breaks on highly-polluting diesel – despite a pledge to phase out fossil fuels completely by 2020.

How do you put a price on trucks’ impact on society?

Hauliers claim that trucks are overpaying in taxes and charges compared to their impact on the environment and society. But the reality is that road transport is now Europe’s biggest climate problem, writes Samuel Kenny.

Fifteen EU countries will be forced to change road toll laws under draft rules

Eight EU countries will be forced to change how they charge passenger cars that use public roads by 2023 and nine countries will need to change their systems for trucks, according to draft European Commission plans.

Transport minister: EU approval of German road toll was ‘irritating’

Austria's transport minister has vowed to take Germany to court over its new road toll law, arguing that it discriminates against drivers from other EU countries. He spoke to EURACTIV in an interview.

Parliament wants new road toll and labour rules for truck drivers

MEPs have approved a list of demands for an upcoming EU overhaul of road toll and labour rules for truck drivers, and included a fresh call for an EU road agency after some political groups lost their bid for the new body earlier this year.

Austria to file legal challenge against German highway toll

Austria said on Friday (31 March) it would file a legal challenge against plans by Germany to introduce a road toll for foreign-registered cars using German highways.

Czech transport minister: EU labour law for truckers must avoid East-West divide

The European Commission is expected to propose changes to employment law for truck drivers and rules on road tolls in May. Czech Transport Minister Dan Ťok suggested a compromise and said he isn't ready to challenge Germany's controversial road toll bill.

Full electro-mobility will be the next giant leap for Europe

We are on the cusp of the age of electro-mobility. Now we need concerted action from policymakers to ensure it really does become a reality, writes Nicolas Erb.

German parliament gives controversial road toll green light

Germany's Bundestag agreed on Friday (24 March) to introduce a road toll for cars registered abroad with prices linked to environmental criteria.

Norway spearheads Europe’s electric vehicle surge

European electromobility is beginning to take off. The targets set by the Paris climate deal depend on it. The EU’s Nordic neighbour, Norway, is showing the rest of Europe the way forward. EURACTIV’s partner The Guardian reports.

Twin EU road toll proposals target pollution and cross-border trucking

EU transport chief Violeta Bulc is expected to announce an overhaul of how countries charge road tolls this May - a controversial issue that has provoked bitter political fights lately and is likely to spark backlash from member states, the shipping industry and truck drivers.

London to introduce £10 vehicle pollution charge

Older, more polluting cars will have to pay a £10 charge (€12) to drive in central London from 23 October, the city’s mayor has said. Confirming he would press ahead with the fee, known as the T-charge, Sadiq Khan said:...

Pressure mounts on EU to pull the plug on contentious German road toll law

EU transport chief Violeta Bulc has defended the European Commission's move to vouch for a controversial German road toll bill that has spurred blistering critique and threats of a lawsuit from 11 neighbouring countries.

Four trends that could clean up road transport

The move towards autonomous vehicles, driven by the progressive electrification of transport, and backed up by road pricing schemes, all carry the potential of radically cleaning up Europe's transport system, writes Greg Archer.

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.

Bulc defends plan to overhaul road toll rules

“Let me assure you that we're not after a revolution here,” Violeta Bulc said at a small Brussels conference this week after she outlined her plans to overhaul rules governing transport and shipping on roads.

EU takes Germany to court over planned road toll

The European Commission referred Germany on Thursday (29 September) to the European Court of Justice over a planned road toll that it says discriminates against foreign drivers.