If Portugal does not comply, it runs the risk of the case going to court
The European Commission gave Portugal two months to complete the transposition of common rules on motorway usage fees, under penalty of the case going to court.
According to a statement from the community executive, Portugal and seven other Member States continue to fail to transpose the Eurovignette Directive, which establishes common rules for the imposition of fees based on distance (tolls) and usage rights based on time of use ( vignettes), allowing Member States to recover infrastructure costs (construction, operation, maintenance) through tolls and vignettes.
The directive also obliges Member States to include the environmental costs of air pollution in their charging systems, in order to establish charges based on vehicles’ CO2 emissions, with the aim of reducing emissions and encouraging the use of less heavy-duty vehicles. pollutants.
Sending a reasoned opinion marks the second stage of an infringement procedure, with referral to the EU Court of Justice the next step if the response is not satisfactory.
