According to the European Parliament (EP), ‘Eurovignette' road haulage tax rules in the European Union (EU) will be revised in order to charge hauliers for air and noise pollution costs, in addition to motorway tolls. A directive approved by the EP on Tuesday will ensure that revenue from these charges is used to improve the performance of transport systems and cut pollution.
On average, €3-4 per vehicle/km may be added to charges for using transport infrastructure to cover the external costs of road haulage, starting with air and noise pollution. The directive will cover not only trans-European transport networks, but all motorways, and will apply to vehicles of over 3.5 metric tons.
The new Eurovignette rules still need to be formally approved by EU member states.