The European Parliament adopted by 516 votes to 111, with 12 abstentions, a resolution on a strategy for an electronic toll service and a vignette system on light private vehicles in Europe.
Parliament notes the Commission's statement that the two main stakeholders concerned are toll chargers and European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) providers but points out that road users, especially transport companies, are a third key stakeholder. It considers that users of private vehicles are potential end users who could help to speed up the development of the EETS.
EETS - unsuccessful to date and in need of a new direction: Parliament agrees with the Commission’s assertion that the current European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) system, established by Directive (2004/52/EC), has not been working and needs to be overhauled. It considers that the market-driven approach favoured by the Commission has failed to bear fruit and that political action is therefore needed in order to speed up the implementation of the EETS and translate it into reality in the immediate future.
Considering it regrettable that Member States have, on the whole, shown little interest in developing the EETS, Parliament calls on the Commission take more measures to pursue the enforcement of EU legislation. It urges the Commission, therefore, to devise and propose an incentive scheme to encourage operators and Member States to shorten the timeframes for implementing the system. Members believe that the Commission should consider appropriate legislative measures in the area of interoperability as soon as possible, so as to oblige all stakeholders to advance the EETS project.
Parliament considers that there is no will for an EETS on the part of industry stakeholders, namely toll service providers, road concessions and manufacturers of electronic ‘tags’ and associated equipment, and that a regulation may be needed to force stakeholders to come together.
The Commission is invited to:
Whatever the system chosen, the Commission should take great care to ensure that consumers are made aware at all times of the cost of the toll being levied via an electronic device or toll tag.
The implementation of charging systems should not, under any circumstances, discriminate against non-residents by creating obstacles to the principle of free movement.
Charging for road-use: Members believe that, while the power to raise revenue rests with the Member States, the EU should favour a system of distance-based tolling over vignette-type systems.
Time-based systems: the Commission should make it mandatory for time-based systems: (i) to offer road users custom-made vignettes based on various pro-rata charging structures, such as daily, weekly, monthly and yearly options, with the possibility of purchasing a vignette up to 30 days in advance of the road use, and; (ii) to state clearly the amount being charged in administrative fees.
In addition, Members believe that the introduction of any new charging system which involves the sharing of operating systems and data on clients and their movements must be strictly subject to EU data protection regulations, and that the data should be de-personalised in order to protect individual privacy.
The Commission is invited to:
Noting the importance of these companies and SMEs in bringing economic growth and jobs to Europe, Parliament considers it essential not to impose any unnecessary extra charges on them, but instead to apply the user pays principle across the board to all vehicle categories.