25 January 2018| Brussels, Belgium

The European Commission aims to make comprehensive proposals for future financial programmes for the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework, the EU’s long–term budget.

In this sense, this consultation is an integral part of the process and its objective is to collect the views of all interested parties on how to make the most of every euro of the EU budget. Other consultations have already taken place in the context of evaluations of existing EU financial programmes covering several policy areas, including on current performance and future challenges.

The views expressed by stakeholders in these consultations will be taken into account as part of the current process for the future Multiannual Financial Framework.

4 October 2017 | Brussels, Belgium

At the end of May 2017, the European Commission published a proposal for revising the « Eurovignette Directive » on road charging, as a contribution to the decarbonisation of Europe’s transport system.  Road pricing can be an incentive for a cleaner and more efficient road transport.

The proposal is based on two major principles, i.e. ‘user pays’ and ‘polluter pays’. It also includes the phasing out of time-based vignettes to distance-based charging, and the extension of the scope to vehicles other than HGVs (such as buses, coaches, vans and passenger cars).

To discuss this proposal, ERF co-organised, in cooperation with ASECAP and CER, an event on infrastructure charging in land transport. The event , which took place on 27 September, was attended by representatives from the European Institutions and other stakeholders.

ERF Director General, Christophe Nicodème,  had the opportunity to underline ERF’s overall positive reception to the proposal, in particular the shift to distance-based road charging and the extension to all vehicles.  Nevertheless, the need for earmarking the revenues generated by this system was underlined, in order to support road maintenance and adaptation of the road networks to cleaner and more efficient mobility, in particular at regional level.

He also expressed the ERF concern about a possible transfer of traffic to ‘non-tolled’ networks, which could create more safety risks and congestion, and consequently, reduce mobility and increase emissions on a network which already suffers from a longstanding backlog of maintenance and preservation.

14 September 2017 |Brussels, Belgium

Infrastructure charging in European land transport is a very crucial matter to develop a multimodal transport system based on fair competition within and among each transport mode.

Do the Commission’s recent ‘Eurovignette’ proposals on road charging reach far enough to promote fair competition and efficient charging in land transport, or should the European Parliament and the Council raise the level of ambition? What can Member States do to achieve smarter charging and raise revenue efficiently? How can transport infrastructure charging help Europe to meet its climate commitments and foster sustainable growth?

On Wednesday 27 September 2017, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), the European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures (ASECAP) and the European Union Road Federation (ERF) will put these questions to a panel of EU policymakers and sector representatives during a high-level debate.