EU TRANSPORT ministers will tomorrow discuss proposals that would empower them to impose new tolls on heavy goods vehicles for air pollution and noise, a plan which would increase export costs from Ireland.
European commissioner Siim Kallas is seeking political agreement at a meeting in Luxembourg to expand the scope of an existing directive under which governments can levy time-based or distance charges on heavy goods vehicles using trans-European roads.
The measure – known as the Eurovignette Directive – authorises such tolls but does not oblige states to levy them. It currently applies to some 15,000kms of European motorways, half of the total tolled motorways in the EU.
Ireland does not apply this directive but an extension of its remit to embrace tolls for pollution and noise would have implications for hauliers who transport Irish exports into European markets.
This is particularly so given the large scale of multinational exports from Ireland and the fact that rail freight is not an option when exporting from an island.
Toll rates covered by the directive vary between 15 cent and 20 cent per kilometre. These would increase by 20-30 per cent if the new measures are adopted.
In addition to charging for air pollution and noise, the new measures would also bring a further 15,000kms of motorway within the scope of the directive.
Any new charges would also take account of road congestion at peak hours.
While Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey will attend the Luxembourg meeting, his position as regards the proposal from Mr Kallas is not yet clear.
“We’re still considering the proposal as it stands,” said a Government spokeswoman.
The proposal is subject to a qualified majority vote by ministers so no member state has a veto. The legislation must, however, be agreed in a co-decision procedure with MEPs before it can become law.
“For Vice-president Kallas it’s a very important directive in the sense that it move us another step further towards a fairer financing environment where the different transport modes pay, or have pricing signals that send the right prices, in terms of the environmental costs of that transport mode,” the commissioner’s spokeswoman said.
In essence, the plan aims to encourage road users to drive less polluting vehicles and to avoid driving on congested roads at peak times.
The amount of tolls would vary depending on the type and the emissions of the vehicle, the distance travelled, the location and the time of road use. Such differentiated charging is intended to encourage the move to “greener” transport patterns.
The Luxembourg meeting comes against the backdrop of discussions in Dublin around the possibility of introducing new tolls on the M50 motorway around the city, the Dublin-Waterford motorway and a handful of other roads in the midlands and west.