Skip to main content

EU electronic toll service has fallen behind schedule

According to a recent report by the European Commission, EU member states are far behind schedule in implementation of the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS). It is already clear that the target date of 8 October 2012 for heavy duty vehicles will not be met. The system is designed to enable road users to pay tolls throughout the EU with one subscription contract, one service provider and one on-board unit. The aim is to eliminate cumbersome procedures for cross-border users. The legislation requires me
September 10, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
According to a recent report by the 1690 European Commission, EU member states are far behind schedule in implementation of the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS). It is already clear that the target date of 8 October 2012 for heavy duty vehicles will not be met.

The system is designed to enable road users to pay tolls throughout the EU with one subscription contract, one service provider and one on-board unit. The aim is to eliminate cumbersome procedures for cross-border users. The legislation requires member states to open their tolling systems to commercial EETS providers. EETS must be available to all vehicle categories by October 2014.

The report blames incomplete national transposition of the required rules in most member states. There has also been a delay in the necessary investment in both the systems and the resting required by toll chargers.

In response to the report, the Commission has published a warning that it will launch infringement proceedings against member states that fail to meet their obligations to roll out the service. But it also lays out possible assistance the Commission could offer to help speed up the roll-out, including financial assistance for interoperability projects between member states, under the trans-European transport programme.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Putting a stop to intersection indecision
    March 9, 2015
    David Crawford takes a look at innovations to reduce crashes at rural intersections. Intersection crashes continue to represent a worryingly large share of deaths and serious injuries across US highway networks. Statistics from the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration show that an average of 21% of road traffic accident deaths occur at crossings. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calculates that intersection crashes account for 48% of all injury-related i
  • EU proposes minimum of 8 million EV charging points by 2020
    January 29, 2013
    The European Commission has unveiled measures to boost the deployment of alternative fuels, including electricity and hydrogen, in EU transport. Under the Clean Power for Transport package, the Commission proposes a minimum number of recharging points per country with common standards for interoperability throughout the EU. Even though alternative fuels, such as electricity and hydrogen are available in the market, there are several obstacles that prevent their wider deployment. According to the European Co
  • EU may challenge German road toll law
    June 2, 2015
    The European Commission will consider a legal challenge against Germany over the new road toll law, according to Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Critics argue that the toll discriminates against foreigners. The European Commission's President Jean-Claude Juncker said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung that the planned German road toll did not appear to conform to EU rules prohibiting discrimination against foreigners. "The Commission, the guardian of the EU treaties, now has to explore
  • Alliance stages North American back office interoperability trial
    December 4, 2013
    JJ Eden, President and CEO of the Alliance for Toll Interoperability, talks to Jason Barnes about the new inter-agency hub, which will facilitate national transactions When it comes to achieving interoperability, the sheer diversity of technologies in operation in the US is perhaps the tolling industry’s greatest defining characteristic and its biggest challenge. The situation is in stark contrast with some other regions of the world, such as Europe where the use of common front-end Dedicated Short-Range