European motorists will have to prepare to put their hands in their wallets. A European directive, called “Eurovignette”, threatens to transform free highways into toll roads in several countries of the European Union.
Eight countries, including Spain, Italy and Luxembourg, are in the crosshairs of Brussels for not having yet implemented this regulation which was to be applied before March 2024. This new measure, initially designed for heavy goods vehicles before to be extended to private vehicles, represents a radical change in European transport policy.
Making motorists pay for the environmental costs of the pollution generated by their vehicles: this is the objective of the European authorities. A revolution which will particularly impact countries accustomed to free motorways. Germany has already taken the plunge by imposing a surcharge of around 200 euros per tonne of CO2 emitted, pushing prices up by more than 30% in some cases.
Hungary will also be particularly affected, with an average increase of 30% in its toll rates since January 2024. Poland follows suit with a more moderate increase of 13.2%. And this is only the beginning: Denmark is preparing its entry into the dance for 2025, particularly targeting heavy goods vehicles weighing more than 12 tonnes. This cascade of tariff increases foreshadows what could become the norm across Europe in the coming years.
More expensive vacations
This reform risks hitting cross-border workers particularly hard. Take the more than 100,000 French people who work in Luxembourg : they could soon have to pay to use roads that were previously free. Same thing for those who live near the Spanish or Italian borders, used to crossing the border to do their shopping or go on vacation.
Spain, which had chosen to make certain motorways free in 2018 by refusing to renew private concessions, now finds itself with its back against the wall. Brussels is giving it only two months to comply with the directive, to the great dismay of Spanish motorists who have become accustomed to this freedom of movement without tolls.
This situation could also have significant impacts on tourismespecially in border regions which rely heavily on visitors from neighboring countries.
The European Commission has just issued an ultimatum to the eight recalcitrant countries. If they do not align quickly, they risk finding themselves before the Court of Justice of the European Union. A threat that could accelerate the end of free motorways in Europe.
- A European directive forces 8 countries to make their motorways chargeable under penalty of sanctions
- Prices are already exploding in several countries, up to +30% in Germany and Hungary
- Cross-border workers and tourists will also be particularly affected
