DECISION No 3/2020 OF THE COMMUNITY/SWITZERLAND INLAND TRANSPORT COMMITTEE

of 16 December 2020

concerning the vehicle charging system applicable in Switzerland as from 1 July 2021 [2021/36]

THE COMMUNITY/SWITZERLAND INLAND TRANSPORT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the carriage of goods and passengers by rail and road (1) (‘the Agreement’), and in particular Articles 40(6) and 52(4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) In accordance with Article 40 of the Agreement, Switzerland has since 1 January 2001 levied a non-discriminatory charge on vehicles for the costs to which they give rise (‘performance-based charge on heavy goods vehicle traffic’). This charge is differentiated according to three categories of emission standards (EURO classes).

(2) To this end, Article 40(2) and (4) of the Agreement lays down the weighted average of the charges, the maximum charge for the most polluting category of vehicles and the maximum difference in charge from one category to another.

(3) Under Article 40(6) of the Agreement, the Community/Switzerland Inland Transport Committee determines the weighting on the basis of examinations carried out every 2 years to take account of trends in the structure of the vehicle fleet operating in Switzerland and changes in the EURO standards. In view of the modernisation of the vehicle fleet operating in Switzerland, as a result of which more and more vehicles comply with the most recent EURO standards, the distribution of the EURO standard categories should be adjusted such that the least polluting emission class, EURO VI, remains in the lowest-taxed category and emission classes EURO IV and V are placed in the highest-taxed category.

(4) The rebate, provided for in Decision No 1/2011 of the Community/Switzerland Inland Transport Committee (2), of 10 % of the fee applying to their category for vehicles of emission classes EURO II and EURO III retrofitted with an approved particulate filter system should be abolished for the same reasons,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1 The performance-based charge on heavy goods vehicle traffic for vehicles with an actual total laden weight of not more than 40 tonnes and travelling a distance of 300 km shall be: — CHF 372,00 for charge category 1, — CHF 322,80 for charge category 2, — CHF 273,60 for charge category 3.

Article 2 Charge category 1 shall apply to all vehicles put into circulation before the EURO VI standard entered into force. Charge category 3 shall apply to vehicles of emission class EURO VI.

Article 3 Decision No 1/2011 is hereby repealed.

Article 4 This Decision shall enter into force on 1 July 2021.

Done at Bern, 16 December 2020. For the Swiss Confederation The President Peter FÜGLISTALER For the European Union The Head of the European Union Delegation Elisabeth WERNER

(1) OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 91.

(2) Decision No 1/2011 of the Community/Switzerland Inland Transport Committee of 10 June 2011 concerning the granting of a rebate on the performance-based fee on heavy goods vehicle traffic for vehicles of emission classes EURO II and III with an approved particulate reduction system (OJ L 193, 23.7.2011, p. 52).