RECOMMENDATION FOR SECOND READING on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 1999/62/EC, 1999/37/EC and (EU) 2019/520, as regards the charging of vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures
18.1.2022 - (10542/1/2021 – C9‑0423/2021 – 2017/0114(COD)) - ***II
Committee on Transport and Tourism
Rapporteur: Giuseppe Ferrandino
DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION
on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 1999/62/EC, 1999/37/EC and (EU) 2019/520, as regards the charging of vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures
(10542/1/2021 – C9‑0423/2021 – 2017/0114(COD))
(Ordinary legislative procedure: second reading)
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Council position at first reading (10542/1/2021 – C9‑0423/2021),
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 18 October 2017[1],
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 1 February 2018[2],
– having regard to the opinion of the Commission (COM(2021)0693),
– having regard to its position at first reading[3] on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2017)0275),
– having regard to Article 294(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the provisional agreement approved by the committee responsible under Rule 74(4) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to Rule 67 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A9-0006/2022),
1. Approves the Council position at first reading;
2. Notes that the act is adopted in accordance with the Council position;
3. Instructs its President to sign the act with the President of the Council, in accordance with Article 297(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;
4. Instructs its Secretary-General to sign the act, once it has been verified that all the procedures have been duly completed, and, in agreement with the Secretary-General of the Council, to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;
5. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
SHORT JUSTIFICATION
Background and interinstituional negotiations
The aim of the original “Eurovignette” Directive (Directive 1999/62/EC on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures, as amended in 2011) was to eliminate distortions of competition between road hauliers in order to ensure that the internal market operated properly and that the principle of free movement of goods applied. However, the current Directive does not sufficiently take into account the negative externalities of road transport, such as air pollution, noise and congestion. Today, only about 25% of the overall trans-European road network is covered by distance-based charges on heavy duty vehicles.
On 31 May 2017 the Commission published its proposal to amend the “Eurovignette” Directive and to strengthen the application of the “user pay” and “polluter pay” principles.
On 24 May 2018, the TRAN Committee adopted its report with 35 votes in favour, 2 against and 3 abstentions. Plenary adopted the Parliament’s first reading position on 25 October 2018 with 398 votes in favour, 179 against and 32 abstentions. In its position, the Parliament further strengthened the application of the “polluter pays” principle. At the start of the new legislature on 24 September 2019, the TRAN Committee adopted a decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations on the basis of the first reading report with 39 votes in favour and 8 against.
The Council on its side adopted its general approach for negotiations on 18 December 2020.
Interinstitutional negotiations started on 29 January 2021 and concluded successfully on 15 June 2021, during the Portuguese Presidency, after three trilogues.
On 30 June 2021, Coreper endorsed the provisional agreement and on 12 July 2021, the TRAN Committee confirmed it with 28 votes in favour and 21 against.
Following legal-linguistic verification, the Council on 9 November 2021 formally adopted its first reading position in accordance with the provisional agreement. Parliament is now invited to proceed to its second reading and approve the Council position so as to confirm the agreement.
Main elements of the agreement
The agreement reached significantly improves the provisions of the existing Directive on a
number of issues such as:
• A phasing-out of vignettes (“time-based”-charges) for trucks on the core Trans-European network and a shift to distance-based charging, with some dedicated exemptions and the possibility to have a combined system. This is to enshrine the “polluter pays” and the “user pays” principles and this was a very important point for Parliament in the negotiations;
• A “greening” of the road charging of trucks and light commercial vehicles by introducing the obligation to vary road charges on the basis of the CO2 emissions and/or the environmental performance of the vehicle, as well as a mandatory external cost charging for trucks to cover for external cost of air pollution. This will be a major incentive for the take-up of low and zero emission trucks and the renewal of the fleet;
• Addressing congestion by introducing the possibility to charge all vehicles a congestion charge;
• Introduction of caps on prices for short term vignettes for passenger cars, including the obligation to offer a one day vignette for transit travellers. This is important for many travellers, for example when they cross several countries to reach their holiday destination;
• A mandatory earmarking of the revenues of the congestion charges to be spent on sustainable transport. This is a very important element that was very difficult to achieve in the negotiations since Member States often reject the notion of mandatory earmarking;
• A substantial extension of the scope. While the current rules apply almost exclusively to truck over 12 tonnes, the agreement covers all trucks, buses and light commercial vehicles. This means that, if Member States decide to apply road charges to those, then these charges will have to be non-discriminatory, green and fair. Also several review clauses have been introduced to encourage the Commission to take even further steps in the future with regards to light commercial vehicles and passenger cars;
• The introduction of a review and sunset clause, in case road transport will be included in a future carbon pricing mechanism, in order to avoid double charging.
• A big step forwards towards a more harmonised system of road charging in the EU. The situation is currently very diverse in Member States with many political sensitivities. While allowing for some flexibility and transitional periods, the direction of the agreement is very clear, namely to move from 27 individual systems towards common rules that apply to all, which is more in line with the internal market for road transport that is in place.
Recommendation
As Council’s position is in conformity with the provisional agreement reached during the
interinstitutional negotiations, the Rapporteur recommends endorsing it without amendments.
PROCEDURE – COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE
Title |
Charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures |
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References |
10542/1/2021 – C9-0423/2021 – 2017/0114(COD) |
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Date of Parliament’s first reading – P number |
25.10.2018 T8-0423/2018 |
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Draft act considered at first reading |
COM(2017)0275 - C8-0171/2017 |
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Receipt of Council position at first reading announced in plenary |
25.11.2021 |
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Committee responsible Date announced in plenary |
TRAN 25.11.2021 |
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Rapporteurs Date appointed |
Giuseppe Ferrandino 26.9.2019 |
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Discussed in committee |
2.12.2021 |
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Date adopted |
13.1.2022 |
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Result of final vote |
+: –: 0: |
30 16 3 |
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Members present for the final vote |
Magdalena Adamowicz, Andris Ameriks, José Ramón Bauzá Díaz, Lars Patrick Berg, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Paolo Borchia, Karolin Braunsberger-Reinhold, Marco Campomenosi, Ciarán Cuffe, Jakop G. Dalunde, Karima Delli, Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg, Gheorghe Falcă, Giuseppe Ferrandino, Mario Furore, Søren Gade, Isabel García Muñoz, Jens Gieseke, Elsi Katainen, Kateřina Konečná, Elena Kountoura, Julie Lechanteux, Bogusław Liberadzki, Peter Lundgren, Benoît Lutgen, Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska, Marian-Jean Marinescu, Tilly Metz, Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar, Caroline Nagtegaal, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Philippe Olivier, Rovana Plumb, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Dominique Riquet, Massimiliano Salini, Vera Tax, Barbara Thaler, István Ujhelyi, Henna Virkkunen, Petar Vitanov, Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi, Lucia Vuolo, Roberts Zīle, Kosma Złotowski |
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Substitutes present for the final vote |
Clare Daly, Maria Grapini, Roman Haider, Kathleen Van Brempt |
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Date tabled |
18.1.2022 |
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FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE
30 |
+ |
ECR |
Lars Patrick Berg, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Roberts Zīle, Kosma Złotowski |
ID |
Paolo Borchia, Marco Campomenosi |
NI |
Mario Furore |
PPE |
Karolin Braunsberger-Reinhold, Jens Gieseke, Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar, Massimiliano Salini, Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi |
Renew |
José Ramón Bauzá Díaz, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Søren Gade, Elsi Katainen, Caroline Nagtegaal, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Dominique Riquet |
S&D |
Andris Ameriks, Giuseppe Ferrandino, Isabel García Muñoz, Maria Grapini, Bogusław Liberadzki, Rovana Plumb, Vera Tax, István Ujhelyi, Kathleen Van Brempt, Petar Vitanov |
The Left |
Elena Kountoura |
16 |
- |
ECR |
Peter Lundgren |
ID |
Roman Haider, Julie Lechanteux, Philippe Olivier |
PPE |
Magdalena Adamowicz, Gheorghe Falcă, Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska, Benoît Lutgen, Marian-Jean Marinescu, Barbara Thaler, Lucia Vuolo |
Verts/ALE |
Ciarán Cuffe, Jakop G. Dalunde, Karima Delli, Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg, Tilly Metz |
3 |
0 |
PPE |
Henna Virkkunen |
The Left |
Clare Daly, Kateřina Konečná |
Key to symbols:
+ : in favour
- : against
0 : abstention
- [1] OJ C 81, 2.3.2018, p. 188.
- [2] OJ C 176, 23.5.2018, p. 66.
- [3] Texts adopted on 25.10.2018, P8_TA(2018)0423.