Vol. 526 No. 6
175 Mr. O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the action she will take at EU level against the introduction of the Brit disc tax proposed by the British Chancellor of the Exchequer on foreign trucks entering or traversing roads in Britain; and her views on whether this would be a prima facie breach of the free movement of goods and services within the single market. [27244/00]
Directive 1999/62/EC allows EU member states to charge tolls and/or user charges on motorways for goods vehicles of 12 tonnes and over. Tolls and user charges may not discriminate, directly or indirectly, on the grounds of the nationality of the haulier, or the origin or destination of the vehicle.
A number of member states already impose user charges in respect of their motorway networks. The so-called Eurovignette system applies in five countries: Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer recently announced that the UK planned to introduce user charges in respect of goods vehicles. Any such proposal will have to comply with EU law as regards non-discrimination.
My Department was in contact with the UK authorities immediately after the Chancellor's announcement. However, no details of the proposed scheme were available, other than the very broad outline in the Chancellor's statement to the House of Commons. My Department will continue to monitor the situation.
