Extension of the Eurovignette Directive

Background

The Committee is addressing the extension of the Directive 1999/62/EC on charging of Heavy-goods Vehicles for use of certain infrastructures, the so called Eurovignette Directive. The Directive was amended in 2022 to enable the differentiation of road charges based on vehicles’ CO2 emissions and so help decarbonise the transport sector.

However, the upfront cost of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) is higher than their conventional counterparts, remaining one of the main barriers to their wider deployment.

With the aim to further stimulate and support the competitiveness of sustainable road transport and to accelerate the uptake of zero-emission HDVs, the European Commission is now proposing to extend exempting zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles from road tolls and user charges from the current exemption period until 31 December 2025 to 30 June 2031.

By waiving tolls and user charges, the EU aims to strengthen the business case for investing in zero-emission trucks and buses. The proposed exemption period will be synchronised with the EU’s CO2 emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles which target a 43% reduction in emissions by 2030.

Key points

The EESC:

• welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for a Directive to extend the exemption period during which zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles (ZEVs) benefit from significantly reduced or exempted infrastructure or user charges as a timely and necessary measure to support the decarbonisation of road transport and supports the proposed extension until 30 June 2031, as it provides legal and investment certainty, aligns with the CO2 performance standards and offers a concrete demand-side incentive for operators to shift towards cleaner technologies;
• reiterates its earlier positions advocating a fair, inclusive and balanced approach to the green transition in commercial road transport, the need to ensure small and medium-sized transport operators are not left behind, and the urgent need to accelerate the deployment of charging and refuelling infrastructure along the TEN-T core and comprehensive networks;

• recommends to earmark revenues derived from CO2-related tolls to support infrastructure rollout and financial support schemes for operators investing in zero- and low-emission vehicles and urges co-legislators to link road pricing policies and CO2 performance standards granting synergy with the EU Emissions Trading System 2 (ETS 2) and other climate instruments.

   

Additional information

Section: Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN)

Opinion number: TEN/858

Opinion type: Mandatory

Referral: COM(2025) 348 final 2025/0188 COD

Rapporteur: Dumitru Fornea (Group II - Romania)

Date of adoption by section: 4 September 2025

Result of the vote: 32 in favour, 0 against, 1 abstention

Date of adoption in plenary: 17-18 September 2025

Result of the vote: 96 in favour, 0 against, 2 abstentions

Contact

Marco Pezzani

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Maja Radman

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E-mail: maja.radman@eesc.europa.eu