The European Commission on Thursday launched legal action against Germany over its introduction of road tolls amid concerns that they may discriminate against other EU citizens.
Brussels/Berlin (dpa) - The system, which has been signed into law but has not yet been implemented, is similar to that in place in neighbouring Switzerland, where foreign motorists must buy a road-sticker to use the country‘s motorways.
The scheme for a road toll is a concession to Bavaria‘s Christian Social Union (CSU), a junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s coalition government. Many Bavarians resent road charging in nearby Austria and Switzerland.
The scheme is a concession to Bavaria‘s Christian Social Union (CSU), a junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s coalition government. Many Bavarians resent road charging in nearby Austria and Switzerland.
The annual cost of the German sticker would be around 130 euros (146 dollars) per car. For German motorists, the current road tax would be split into an annual road charge and a vehicle tax.
German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt
The EU‘s executive has "serious doubts" that the system respects the bloc‘s principle of non-discrimination, according to its top transport official, Violeta Bulc.
The commission notes that Germans will effectively not pay the road charge, "because their vehicle tax bill will be reduced by the exact amount of the charge."
It also argues that the cost of using German motorways for a short period of time - as would be the case for visitors to the country - is "disproportionately high."
The EU executive is initially informing Germany of its concerns in a formal letter of notice, giving Berlin two months to respond. It can then refer member states to the bloc‘s top court and propose hefty fines if they are in breach of EU law.
European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc reacts after the crash of a Germanwings Airbus 320 plane, on the sidelines of a news conference on EU road safety statistics for 2014 at the EU Commission in Brussels, Belgium, 24 March 2015.
The German government indicated Thursday that it would delay the launch of the scheme until its legality was settled.
Bulc welcomed the announcement by Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt, expressing hope that it would pave the way for a "good, constructive dialogue" with Berlin over the coming months.
The minister‘s tone had been less conciliatory in remarks carried by German daily Bild.
"I will tough this out with Brussels. The European Court of Justice will be the ultimate arbiter," Dobrindt, a member of the CSU, had told the newspaper.
A poll earlier this year for Germany‘s ZDF public television showed 50 per cent of Germans approve of the road charge and 47 per cent oppose it. Proponents say it would end the injustice of foreigners using maintenance-intensive roads in Germany for free.
Both north-south traffic from Scandinavia to Italy and east-west flows from France to Poland cross Germany. Trucks already pay tolls by the kilometre.
Germany will use an electronic monitoring system that registers the number plates of every vehicle for which a charge has been paid on the country‘s autobahns. Offenders risk being pulled over and receiving heavy fines.
Dobrindt estimated when the bill passed parliament that the "infrastructure levy" would bring in 500 million euros annually - money that could be spent on improving German roads.
Weitere Tipps unserer Redaktion
How to get your dream job
There comes a time in everyone’s life when they have to address the age-old question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?
Luchse statt Staudämme
Einer der ältesten Nationalparks Europas soll frei von neuen Staudämmen bleiben. 97.804 Menschen unterzeichneten ein Protestschreiben gegen den geplanten Bau zweier großer Wasserkraftwerke im Mavrovo Nationalpark in Mazedonien, das heute dem mazedonischen Premierminister Nicola Gruevski übermittelt wurde.
Interests in Russia and Greece
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is scheduled to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday in an effort to boost economic cooperation, investment and trade relations between the two countries.
Chinese and russian creditors
Greek officials are pulling out all the stops in an effort to borrow 15 billion euros (16.2 billion dollars) to avoid default, with recent feelers out to China and Russia, according to Greek media reports Saturday.
VW totally screwed up
The emissions scandal at German carmaker Volkswagen has rocked the sector since the weekend. Here is an overview of events:
Growth is outside Europe
The boss of Ferrero, the Italian chocolate maker famous for the Nutella spread, said in a rare interview Friday that the company has ambitions to become a more global player and earn most of its income outside Europe.
Time-out from the eurozone
Eurozone leaders were inching early Monday towards a new bailout agreement with near-bankrupt Greece, although sources said it was tough going after the threat of a Greek "time-out" from the eurozone was used as leverage in the talks.
Recommended by EASA
Improved psychological testing for pilots was among six measures recommended Friday by Europe's airline regulator after the March crash of a Germanwings plane into the French Alps.
