Based on the report by Raporteur Saïd El Khadraoui, the Transport Committee gave a first reading, with amendments, to a Commission proposal to revised the 1999 "Eurovignette" directive. According to the legislation approved by the EP Transport Committee on February 11th 2009, charges on heavy-goods vehicles should be based in part on the air and noise pollution they produce and the congestion they cause.

In 2006, the European Parliament and the Council called on the Commission to draw up a report on a generally applicable, transparent and comprehensible model for assessing the external costs of transport, such as pollution and congestion, to serve as the basis for calculating infrastructure user charges. The Commission was asked to propose a strategy for stepwise implementation of the model for all transport modes, which was at the core of debates at the September 2008 informal Transport meeting, and to be accompanied if appropriate by a proposal for revising Directive 1999/62/EC on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of infrastructure.

The objectives of this proposal are to encourage Member States to implement differentiated charging to improve the efficiency and environmental performance of road freight transport.

The Commission's original proposal which was part of a set of initiatives aimed to increase EU energy efficiency and to mitigate the effects of rising global fuel prices, included air and noise pollution as well as congestion, but stopped short of including CO2 emissions. Some MEPs wanted to add CO2 to the list of chargeable costs, arguing that lorries, like aeroplanes, are partly responsible for climate change, but the committee has now voted to exclude CO2 emissions from the text.

The proposal to include congestion charging met opposition from some MEPs who argued that it would be too heavy a burden on the sector in this period of economic downturn and that such a charge would be discriminatory, as private cars are also responsible for congestion. The committee reached a compromise which allows Member States to apply a congestion charge on lorries on the condition that they apply a similar charge to "all other road users". Member States would also have to submit a cost/benefit analysis and an action plan setting out their measures to reduce congestion before applying the charge.

"Intelligent" pricing system and “Polluter pays” principle

The Eurovignette directive is accompanied by a calculation method designed to adapt toll prices according to the environmental standard of the vehicle (known as "Euro 0 to VI"), the type of road used and the time period. Electronic tolling systems would calculate the right price according to these criteria.

The Eurovignette calculation method means that the overall extra cost for road users would only rise by approximately 3% if Member States choose to apply the charges, according to an impact study carried out by the Commission. Following this “polluter pays“ principle, heavy polluters (Euro 0) would pay more, eco-friendly lorries (Euro VI and "clean energy" lorries) would pay little or no charges for air pollution. The same principle applies to the congestion charge: reduced rates would incite drivers to travel during off-peak times.

The existing Eurovignette rules only apply to roads which are part of the Trans-European Network (TEN), i.e. specifically designated international roads linking EU countries, and to vehicles above 12 tonnes. According to the new draft text, Eurovignette rules would apply to all TEN roads and roads "which customarily carry a significant volume of international goods transport" and would extend to 3.5 tonne vehicles (from 2012). Cities would maintain their right to impose local charges on their roads (such as the London congestion charge).

"Earmarking" revenues to invest in greener transport

Bracing themselves for a probable future fight with EU finance ministers, MEPs from all political groups united in their support for "earmarking": Member States should be obliged to invest the revenue generated from Eurovignette charges into plans to improve environmental standards of vehicles and develop alternative transport infrastructure.
 
On roads in mountainous regions and conurbations, a "mark-up" cost is introduced. The extra revenue from this mark-up would be invested into alternative parallel transport links (for instance, a mark-up introduced on the Alpine section of the Lyon-Genoa motorway would finance a parallel railway route).
 
The rules are not binding but seek to set a common EU standard for Member States who choose to apply the charges.