Rail sector welcomes agreement on eurovignette but stronger result still needed

The European rail industry welcomes the agreement reached by European transport ministers to permit the charging of some of the internalisation of external costs through the revision of the 'Eurovignette' directive on the charging of heavy good vehicles. The revision of the Eurovignette Directive is a further step towards levelling the playing field for all modes of transport.

The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM) and the
European Rail Industry (UNIFE) welcomed the acceptance by the Council of the 'polluter pays' principle in road transport.

In particular, the rail sector regrets:
• The decision to remove separate charges for congestion, which is responsible for 40% of all external costs
• The failure to agree that the earmarking of revenues raised should be allocated specifically for spending on sustainable transport
• The decision to let member states decide on whether they wish to apply charges to vehicles between 3.5 and 12 tonnes in weight.
• The rail sector now looks forward to ensuring that these points are properly considered by the European Parliament in its second reading, and looks forward to rapid final agreement on the directive.

Michael Clausecker, UNIFE Director-General, said: "The revision of the Eurovignette directive comes at crucial moment. The Transport White Paper, expected to be released at the end of the year, should support the measures as described in the Eurovignette directive and go even further if the EU is serious about meeting the sustainability challenges as set in the EU 2020 strategy. Notably, a single binding target for CO2 emissions' reduction in the transport sector is needed to fight climate change."

Soucre: UNIFE, CER, EIM