91999E0885

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0885/99

by Marie-Paule Kestelijn-Sierens (ELDR) to the Commission

(8 April 1999)

Subject: Transposition by Belgium of Directive 93/89/EEC on the application by Member States of taxes on certain vehicles used for the carriage of goods by road

By Royal Decree of 21 October 1997, Belgium implemented Directive 93/89/EEC(1), laying down that the euro vignette would be required in Belgium, inter alia, for the N8 road from Courtrai to Coxyde via Ypres, a road which is classified as a secondary road in the Flanders Structural Plan.

Is it permitted under the Directive referred to above for a Member State to require a euro vignette for a road it regards as a secondary road?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(7 May 1999)

Article 7.d third sub-paragraph of Council Directive 93/89/EEC of 25 October 1993 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, stipulates that after consultations with the Commission, in accordance with a specific procedure, Member States may impose user charges (i.e. the Eurovignette) also on users of other sections of the primary road network particularly where there are safety reasons for doing so.

Making use of this provision the Belgian government entered into consultations with the Commission regarding the extension of the road network, where the Eurovignette is levied, to include all N-roads ("routes nationales").

After examination of the Belgian request the Commission concluded in its opinion of 15 February 1996 that a large-scale extension of the Eurovignette network as proposed by the Belgian Government is not justified. However the Commission found reasonable the extension of the application of the Eurovignette on a limited number of N-roads (17) where a shift of heavy goods traffic could be expected if they remained outside the Eurovignette network. According to the Commission's opinion such a transfer of traffic onto these N-roads, combined with certain of their features, could lead to higher safety risks.

Therefore, to prevent such an occurrence and help maintain the road safety level throughout the Belgian territory the Commission agreed to the levying of the Eurovignette on these 17 N-roads (additionally to the motorways) which include the road N 8 Brussel-Ninove-Oudenaarde-Kortrijk-Ieper-Koksijde.

(1) OJ L 279, 12.11.1993, p. 32.