91997E3228

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3228/97 by Daniel Féret (NI) to the Commission (9 October 1997)

Subject: European sticker on toll motorways

Some European Union Member States have introduced a European sticker on their motorways which allows heavy goods vehicles to pay a uniform preferential fee.

Other Member States, by contrast, refuse to grant this economic advantage to carriers using their motorways. This situation creates harmful distortions on the European Union's motorway network, which have repercussions on transport costs.

Does the Commission not consider it desirable and necessary to propose that a 'European sticker' facilitating the use of the motorway networks by carriers be introduced and uniformly applied?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (18 November 1997)

The Commission believes that the parallel application of tolls in some Member States and a common sticker in other Member States, does not constitute a distortion of competition. All users of a Member State's road network are subject to the same system that applies to residents of that Member State.

The two systems (tolls and user charge stickers) are both envisaged in Directive 93/89/EEC ((On the application by Member States of taxes on certain vehicles used for the carriage of goods by road and tolls and charges for the use of certain infrastructures; OJ L 279, 12.11.1993. )) which lays down the general conditions of their application.

However, the Commission considers that road tolls (based on kilometres driven) are better related to the real costs arising from the use of the infrastructure than the user charges (sticker) which are based on the permitted duration of the use of the road and not on the real use of the roads.

That is why the Commission favours a generalised application of road tolls for heavy goods vehicles according to methods which ensure non-discrimination and free-flowing traffic, particularly using electronic systems which do not require vehicles to stop.