Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

RemovedEXPLANATORY STATEMENT

AddedDirective 1999/62/EC

RemovedAlmost three decades ago, the Eurovignette Directive (1999/62/EC) laid down the EU legal framework governing road charges for heavy-goods vehicles (HGVs) on the TEN-T network. The Directive has consistently evolved since then focusing on environmental sustainability, transitioning from time-based vignettes to distance-based one, introducing CO2-emission-differentiated charging, and polluter & user-pays pricing. This evolution fits with the broader EU strategy of embedding environmental performance into infrastructure costs to promote cleaner transport and contribute towards the EU climate objectives.

AddedArticle 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point b, Article 7ga – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 6 a (new): Member States shall mutually recognise the CO₂ emission class of a motor vehicle and of a trailer as determined by the Member State in which that vehicle or trailer is registered. To this end, the CO₂ emission class contained in the certificate of conformity or the vehicle registration certificate shall be made available via an interoperable electronic exchange system, such as MOVE-HUB, as part of the vehicle registration data. Where the CO₂ emission class of the trailer that is part of a vehicle combination cannot be established at the time when the road or infrastructure charges are applied, Member States shall calculate the road user charges only on the basis of the emission class of the motor vehicle and shall not apply a higher charge due to the absence of such information.

RemovedIn its last revision from 2022, when the CO2-emission-differentiated charging was introduced, the effects of trailers and semi-trailers were not yet included because there was no legal framework yet able to assess their impact on CO2 emissions. Therefore, in May 2023, the Commission put forward another limited amending proposal (2023/0134 (COD)) adding them to the scope.

AddedDirective 1999/62/EC

RemovedThe rational of including the effects of trailers is a welcome one, as although they do not emit emissions per se, they affect the total energy consumption of a vehicle-combination. Using efficient trailers, where the technologies for these have also evolved considerably, would also reduce overall emissions. By including them in the Eurovignette Directive and rewarding their use with lower toll charges, the legislation intended to further stimulate the uptake of such trailers by the transport operators and steer the market toward more efficient logistic combinations.

AddedArticle 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point b a (new), Article 7ga – paragraph 5 a (new): (ba) in Article 7ga, the following paragraph is inserted: / ‘5a. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, Member States may provide for a reduction of up to 10 % of the infrastructure charge or user charge applicable to a given vehicle in accordance with its CO₂ emission class, for vehicles equipped with an electrified transport refrigeration unit. That reduction shall be applied in addition to the variations provided for in paragraph 3 and shall be in compliance with paragraph 4.’

RemovedThe proposal from 2023 was however not taken up by the co-legislators, mainly for lack of consensus among the Member States on the Council side as to how the inclusion of trailers will be in actual terms implemented and the effects on all actors involved from the national authorities to the transport operators and toll charging operators too.

RemovedIn the meantime, parallel revision of related legislation, specifically the 2024 update of the CO2 emission standards for HDVs (Regulation (EU) 2019/1242) had certain effects on the 2023 Eurovignette amending proposal whereby certain provisions there became obsolete, some cross-references to other pieces of legislation inaccurate and new definitions or updates to existing ones had to be introduced. Therefore, the Commission further amended that proposal in October 2025 adding these necessary elements of simplification, alignment and legal clarification related specifically to the CO2 elements of the Eurovignette. The new proposal still retained all main 2023 elements that added the effects of trailers and semi-trailers.

RemovedYour Rapporteur fully agrees with the new elements from 2025 as essential and necessary from a legal stand point for the proper implementation of the Directive and to ensure legislative continuity based on the current reclassification rules.

RemovedRegarding the inclusion of the trailer in tolling, the main existing concerns are not legislative in nature but rather practical: namely, the real-time identification of the trailer used in a vehicle combination and the effective enforcement of the applicable rules. These issues cannot be addressed solely through additional legislation; instead, they require ta prior assessment, validation, and demonstration of reliable and interoperable technical solutions.

RemovedTaking into account the current position regarding trailers, as well as the implementation challenges and additional costs associated with their inclusion at a stage where there is still insufficient technical clarity and preparedness on how to implement this most efficiently, it is appropriate to proceed with caution.

RemovedIn view of the need to reach agreement with the Council on the new elements concerning CO₂ alignment and simplification, as set out in the amended proposal of October 2025, and in order to maintain the unchanged emission reduction trajectory that defines the thresholds of CO₂ emission classes 2 and 3, it is essential to focus on the core elements that ensure legal certainty, technical feasibility, and regulatory coherence.

RemovedFor this reason , it is the position of the rapporteur that trailers elements of the proposal should be postpone for a future discussion when the time is right, and current efforts should focus only on the new elements from 2025.