An infringement procedure has been opened against Germany by the European Commission. At the basis of the infringement procedure is the introduction of the motorway toll introduced by Germany to the detriment of European citizens not residing on German territory. The procedure opened against Germany freezes the German plan to finance the modernization and maintenance of German roads through the tax on private vehicles. In practice, the government has introduced a car tax for all private vehicles, but while German residents are refunded based on car tax, non-residents are not refunded.
German motorways have always been free, but the government has decided to introduce a tax on private vehicles to raise cash and modernize the motorway network. The introduction of the toll for private vehicles was greeted with much disappointment by German citizens who prompted the government to provide forms of reimbursement for residents of Germany.
“A toll system can only be in line with European legislation if it respects the fundamental principle of non-discrimination,” Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc said today in Brussels. “We have serious doubts that this is the case, in the light of the legal texts. We therefore want to act quickly through an infringement procedure to clarify our doubts in the interest of European citizens”.
The Minister of Transport in Germany, Alexander Dobrindt, responds remotely, explaining: “No one is discriminated against. All motorists will pay the toll. Brussels cannot tell us how to act on the car tax. This is a choice of national sovereignty". The federal government has two months to respond to the doubts expressed by the European Commission.
