The German Minister of Transport has a plan in place for tolls across the European Union. In Germany, however, there is already a negative reaction.
As temporary EU President, Germany has drawn up a toll collection plan in the European Union. The German transport minister, Andreas Scheuer, has a proposal ready for this. Press agency Reuters got this in hands. The proposal states that all vehicles in the EU should be subject to tolls, except buses. It is said to be a full EU-wide toll, covering almost all roads. The toll would be levied purely on the basis of the distance traveled and the type of vehicle. The introduction of this is expected to take eight years.
Although it is still somewhat shrouded in mystery, it is already known that people in Germany are not ready for it. There, proponents of the toll would prefer to see a CO2 emissions-related toll. The German Ministry of the Environment has therefore already rejected Scheuer’s plan. The conservatives see little to nothing in tolls at all. However, Scheuer would see an EU-wide toll plan as a good way to get all the different tolls in Europe under one roof. Of course, the EU’s climate agenda also plays a role.