(1)

By its Resolution of 17 June 1997 on the development of telematics in road transport, in particular with respect to electronic fee collection (EFC) (4), the Council called on the Commission and Member States to develop a strategy for the convergence of EFC systems in order to achieve an appropriate level of interoperability at a European level. The communication of the Commission on interoperable electronic fee collection systems in Europe was the first stage of this strategy.

(2)

The majority of Member States which have installed electronic toll systems to finance road infrastructure costs or to collect road usage fees (jointly referred to hereinafter as ‘electronic toll systems’) use short-range microwave technology and frequencies close to 5,8 GHz, but these systems are currently not totally compatible. The work on microwave technology undertaken by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) resulted in January 2003 in the preparation of technical standards making for the compatibility of 5,8 GHz microwave electronic toll systems, following the adoption of technical pre-standards in 1997. However, these pre-standards do not cover all the dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) 5,8 GHz systems in operation in the Community and encompass two variants which are not totally compatible. They are based on the open systems interconnection model defined by the International Standardisation Organisation for communication between computer systems.

(3)

Manufacturers of equipment and infrastructure managers have nonetheless agreed, within the Community, to develop interoperable products based on existing DSRC 5,8 GHz systems. The equipment that will need to be made available to users should accordingly be capable of communicating with the technologies that may only be used in new electronic toll systems to be deployed in the Community after 1 January 2007, namely satellite positioning technology, mobile communications technology using the GSM-GPRS standard and 5,8 GHz microwave technology.

(4)

It is essential that the standardisation work be completed as quickly as possible to establish technical standards ensuring technical compatibility among electronic toll systems based on 5,8 GHz microwave technology and on satellite positioning and mobile communications technologies, in order to avoid further fragmentation of the market.

(5)

It is necessary to provide for the widespread deployment of electronic toll systems in the Member States and neighbouring countries, and the need is arising to have interoperable systems suited to the future development of road-charging policy at Community level and to future technical developments.

(6)

The electronic toll systems should be interoperable and based on open and public standards, available on a non-discriminatory basis to all system suppliers.

(7)

In introducing new electronic toll systems, sufficient equipment should be made available to avoid discrimination between the undertakings concerned.

(8)

In particular, owing to their great flexibility and versatility, application of the new satellite positioning (GNSS) and mobile communications (GSM/GPRS) technologies to electronic toll systems may serve to meet the requirements of the new road-charging policies planned at Community and Member State level. These technologies enable the number of kilometres covered per category of road to be counted without requiring costly investment in infrastructure. They also open the door to additional new safety and information services for travellers, such as the automatic alarm triggered by a vehicle involved in an accident and indicating its position, and real-time information on traffic conditions, traffic levels and journey times. With regard to satellite positioning, the Galileo project launched by the Community in 2002 is designed to provide, as of 2008, information services of higher quality than that provided by the current satellite navigation systems and which are optimal for road telematic services. The European geostationary navigation overlay service (EGNOS) precursor system will already be operational in 2004, providing similar results. However, these innovative systems could raise problems concerning the reliability of checks and with regard to fraud prevention. However, owing to the considerable advantages referred to above, the application of satellite positioning and mobile communications technologies is in principle to be recommended in introducing new electronic toll systems.

(9)

The proliferation of technologies for electronic toll systems already in use or planned in the coming years (mainly 5,8 GHz microwave, satellite positioning and mobile communications) and the proliferation of specifications imposed by the Member States and neighbouring countries for their electronic toll systems may compromise both the smooth operation of the internal market and transport policy objectives. Such a situation is liable to lead to the proliferation of incompatible and expensive electronic boxes in the driving cabs of heavy goods vehicles, and to drivers making mistakes when using them with the result, for example, of unintentionally avoiding payment. Such a proliferation is unacceptable to users and to manufacturers of vehicles for cost, safety and legal reasons.

(10)

Artificial barriers to the operation of the internal market should be removed, while still allowing the Member States and the Community to implement a variety of road-charging policies for all types of vehicles at local, national or international level. The equipment installed in vehicles should allow such road-charging policies to be implemented in accordance with the principles of non-discrimination between the citizens of all Member States. The interoperability of electronic toll systems at Community level therefore needs to be ensured as soon as possible.

(11)

Drivers are legitimately concerned to see improved quality of service on the road infrastructure, in particular in terms of safety, as well as a substantial reduction in congestion at toll plazas, especially on busy days and at certain particularly congested points in the road network. The definition of the European electronic toll service needs to address that concern. Provision should, moreover, be made to ensure that the technologies and components provided for can, as far as technically possible, also be combined with other vehicle components, in particular the electronic tachograph and emergency call capabilities. Intermodal systems should not be excluded at a later stage.

(12)

The option of accessing other, future applications in addition to toll collection should be ensured by fitting appropriate equipment.

(13)

A European electronic toll service should provide interoperability at technical, contractual and procedural level, covering:

(14)

Contractual interoperability provides the potential for important facilitation to some road users and for significant economies in administration for commercial road users.

(15)

Electronic toll systems contribute significantly to reducing the risk of accidents, thus increasing road safety, to reducing the number of cash transactions and to reducing congestion at toll plazas, especially on busy days. They also reduce the negative environmental impact of waiting and restarting vehicles and congestion, as well as the environmental impact related to the installation of new toll gates or expansion of existing toll stations.

(16)

The White Paper on European Transport Policy for 2010 contains objectives of safety and fluidity of road traffic. Interoperable intelligent transport services and systems are a key tool in the achievement of these objectives.

(17)

The introduction of electronic toll systems will entail the processing of personal data. Such processing needs to be carried out in accordance with Community rules, as set out, inter alia, in Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (5) and Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (6). The right to protection of personal data is explicitly recognised by Article 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

(18)

Automatic debiting of toll charges to bank accounts or credit/debit card accounts which are domiciled anywhere, in the Community and beyond, is conditional on a fully operational Community payments area with non-discriminatory service charges.

(19)

Systems of electronic toll collection which are put in place in the Member States should meet the following fundamental criteria: the system should be amenable to ready incorporation of future technological and systems improvements and developments without costly redundancy of older models and methods, the costs of its adoption by commercial and private road users should be insignificant compared with the benefits to those road users as well as to society as a whole, and its implementation in any Member State should be non-discriminatory in all respects between domestic road users and road users from other Member States.

(20)

Since the objectives of this Directive, in particular, the interoperability of electronic toll systems in the internal market and the introduction of a European electronic toll service covering the entire Community road network on which tolls are charged, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of their European dimension, be better achieved at Community level, the Community may take measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives.

(21)

The inclusion of interested parties (such as toll-service operators, infrastructure managers, electronics and motor industries and users) in Commission consultations on technical and contractual aspects of creating the European electronic toll service should be provided for. Where appropriate, the Commission should also consult non-governmental organisations active in the field of privacy protection, road safety and the environment.

(22)

To set up the European electronic toll service it will first be necessary to establish guidelines to be laid down by the Electronic Toll Committee established by this Directive.

(23)

This Directive does not affect the Member States' freedom to lay down rules governing road infrastructure charging and taxation matters.

(24)

The measures necessary for the implementation of this Directive should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission (7),