Dutch to level EU protest against German toll plan

A petition with almost 45,000 signatures will be submitted to the European Parliament on 2 September by the Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB) in protest at a proposed German road toll that will fall primarily on foreign drivers. The Dutch Club is urging the European Parliament to get involved and address the question of discrimination against international motorists. The ANWB will be represented by their President, Frits van Bruggen, and the European Parliament will be represented by Dutch MEP, Wim van de
August 28, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

A petition with almost 45,000 signatures will be submitted to the European Parliament on 2 September by the Royal Dutch Touring Club (481 ANWB) in protest at a proposed German road toll that will fall primarily on foreign drivers.

The Dutch Club is urging the European Parliament to get involved and address the question of discrimination against international motorists. The ANWB will be represented by their President, Frits van Bruggen, and the European Parliament will be represented by Dutch MEP, Wim van de Camp.

According to the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the German government’s new road tax, a toll to fund road infrastructure, provides compensation to Germans, thereby exempting German nationals from the obligation to pay. If implemented, this means that foreign drivers will be financing the expansion and maintenance of German roads, a policy that is clearly discriminating against non-German road users and that is in conflict with the key EU principle of non-discrimination.

Charging, Tolling & RUC

Related Content

  • February 3, 2012
    Does enforcement merit a place in the EU's ITS action Plan?
    Colin Wilson, IBI Group, looks at the implications for enforcement of the European Commission's new Action Plan for the Deployment of ITS in Europe
    Read More
  • September 23, 2016
    Stay Bright campaign puts kids in the driver's seat
    The FIA, MEP Olga Sehnalova, former racing driver and BMX World Champion Alex Wurz and the Czech Automobile Club UAMK have initiated a campaign to urge children to Stay Bright this winter with the correct use of reflective gear. According to FIA, more than 800 children under the age of 15 are killed on European roads each year and 100.000 are injured. As pedestrians and cyclists, children are some of the most vulnerable road users of all. The campaign was launched as part of the European Commission's
    Read More
  • November 8, 2013
    EU citizens ‘pay twenty times too much for traffic noise reduction’
    According to Paul de Vos, strategic advisor at engineering and consultancy firm Royal HaskoningDHV, European policy forces local authorities to make huge investments in traffic noise reduction. Until 2017, European governments will be spending US$168 billion for noise barriers, quieter roads and measures related to the negative effects of traffic noise, including damage to health. However, by simply making cars quieter, the total cost to the taxpayer could be reduced by a factor of twenty.
    Read More
  • April 9, 2015
    Tolls ‘on the rise as highway funding dries up’
    The US-based Brookings Institution has commented on the highway funding debate in the US in a paper by Robert Puentes, a senior fellow with the Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program He says that, as uncertainties abound over federal transportation spending and another shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund looms, states and localities are stepping up to address their infrastructure challenges head on. By raising gas taxes, launching ballot initiatives, and forging public-private partnerships, regions ar
    Read More

Highlighted Content