“The polluter pays! This is the crucial principle that has inspired the spirit of our commitment through more than six months of inter-institutional dialogue on the ´Charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures´ file – the Eurovignette. What the European Parliament has just approved can be openly described as a Copernican revolution in the Trans-European transport network. We are in fact moving from a time-based tariff system to a much more green and sustainable distance-based tariff one, still with some dedicated exemptions and the possibility of a combined system.
“Tariffs in the whole EU will be calculated on the basis of real CO2 emissions and on the environmental performance of the vehicle. This should create a strong incentive to renew the fleet with low-emissions vehicles."
