3 Trans-European transport network
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COM(03) 132
| Commission Communication: Developing the trans-European transport network: Innovative funding solutions and interoperability of electronic toll collection systems
Draft Directive on the widespread introduction and interoperability of electronic road toll systems in the Community
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| Legal base | (Communication) —
(Draft Directive) Article 71 EC; co-decision; QMV
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| Document originated | 23 April 2003
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| Deposited in Parliament | 21 May 2003
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| Department | Transport |
| Basis of consideration | Minister's letter of 27 January 2004
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| Previous Committee Report | HC 42-i (2003-04), para 5 (3 December 2003)
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| To be discussed in Council | Not known
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | For debate in European Standing Committee A (decision reported on 3 December 2003)
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Background
3.1 The transport Trans-European Network (TEN) is intended to
enable citizens of the Union, economic operators and regional
and local communities to derive full benefit from the setting
up of an area without internal frontiers. The guidelines for
the transport TEN have as the key objective: "The trans-European
transport network shall be established gradually by 2010 by integrating
land, sea and air transport infrastructure networks throughout
the community". The guidelines identify
the main road, rail and inland waterway routes, ports and airports
of common European interest and prioritise projects for development
of the network.
3.2 This document is in three parts: the two sections
of the Commission's Communication and a draft Directive. The
Communication first discusses more effective financial and management
instruments for developing the transport TEN. The second section
of the Communication discusses the interoperability of electronic
toll collection systems. The draft Directive in the document
would introduce a European Electronic Toll Service which would
cover all road infrastructure in the EU on which tolls or usage
fees are collected. A single subscription contract would give
access to the service and subscriptions would be available from
the manager of any part of the network. The service would concern
only the method of collecting charges: it would have nothing
to do with the level or purpose of charges.
3.3 When we last considered this document, in December
2003,[9] we had before
us additional information we had requested and, on the basis of
this, recommended the document for debate in European Standing
Committee A. We suggested that amongst matters which Members
might wish to consider are, in relation to the draft Directive,
the "single box" and the "single contract";[10]
and in relation to the wider questions raised in the Communication:
- the role of charging in encouraging
private investment in infrastructure developments and public private
partnerships;
- what costs charges should cover — capital,
maintenance and/or externalities (such as environmental damage
or congestion);
- hypothecation — and whether hypothecation
would be solely for road or for all forms of transport.
3.4 We also reported the Minister of State, Department
of Transport (Dr Kim Howells) telling us that he expected the
Italian Presidency to seek agreement on a general approach on
the draft Directive at the Transport Council of 4 and 5 December
2003.
The Minister's letter
3.5 The Minister writes now to bring us up to date
on progress on the draft Directive. He tells us first that a
general approach was adopted at the Transport Council last month.
He then reminds us that the Government has severe reservations
about the "single contract" proposal, particularly about
its relationship to the Government's own planned lorry road user
charge, and says that following lobbying of other Member States,
the Presidency and the Commission the Government was able to support
the "single contract" proposals which went to the Council.
The Minister says these were in essence that:
"a decision would need to be taken on the definition
of the electronic toll service by 1 January 2006. This decision
would set the clock running on when member states would be required
to ensure network operators offer the service to hauliers and
private motorists.
"this decision would only be made if all the
conditions, evaluated on the basis of appropriate studies, were
in place to enable interoperability to work from all points of
view, including technical, legal and commercial elements
"if the necessary decision was not taken before
1 January 2006 because all the necessary conditions were not satisfactorily
in place, a new date would be set.
"once the decision was taken, member states
which had electronic toll systems would have to ensure that the
electronic toll service was offered to hauliers and bus/coach
operators within 3 years and to private motorists and other users
within 5 years."
3.6 The Minister comments:
"If, as seems likely, the decision is not taken
before 1 January 2006, the main effect is that we would not have
to offer a service including contractual interoperability to hauliers
before 1 January 2009 and we would not have to offer the service
to private motorists and other users before 1 January 2011 at
the earliest. And, of course, we should have the comfort that
contractual interoperability had been properly defined and shown
to work."
3.7 On developments since the Transport Council's
agreement on the general approach, the Minister tells us that
the European Parliament has adopted 39 amendments to the proposed
Directive, to two of which the Government is "unshakeably
opposed". These would change the date for the decision on
the definition of the electronic toll service — to 2007
rather than 2006 — and the period of time between that decision
and when Member States would be required to offer the service
— to two years rather than three. He goes on to say :
"At a meeting of the Council working group on
20th January, we made clear that we could not accept
these amendments. In order to minimise expensive contractual
amendments relating to the introduction of the UK's Lorry Road-User
Charge (LRUC) scheme, we would need at least three years from
the achievement of certainty before offering the Electronic Toll
Service. Also we will need certainty about the scope of the Service
as soon as possible to enable contracts for LRUC to be let without
delay. The Presidency and other Member States accepted our concerns
and it was concluded that the Parliament should be told that the
Council wished to maintain the text of the general approach.
We shall have to wait to see whether or not the Parliament will
acquiesce."
Conclusion
3.8 We are grateful to the Minister for this further
information.
9 See headnote. Back
10
Under the draft Directive lorry drivers or motorists would need
a single piece of equipment in their vehicle which will work in
any country ('single box') and have just one contract through
which they receive one bill for any tolls incurred across Europe
('single contract'). Back
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