WRITTEN QUESTION E-0670/03 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Tolls on the Attica motorway.
Date: 2003-03-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, charges for use of infrastructure, commercial vehicle, road transport, toll, vehicle tax

C 268 E/118

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

7.11.2003

(2003/C 268 E/118)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0670/03

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(7 March 2003)

Subject: Tolls on the Attica motorway

The tolls fixed by the company contracted to build and operate the Attica motorway into Athens have met
with a justified public outcry from road-users who will have to pay a high, flat-rate amount irrespective of
the length of their journey. Setting the tolls in this manner effectively bars residents from using the
motorway for local journeys.

The agreement
signed between the Greek Government and the contracting consortium states
(Article 50.1.3) that it is open to the contractor ‘to raise or lower the tolls according to the category of
vehicle at the various toll booths along the motorway’, while Directive 93/89/EEC (1) defines tolls as
‘payment of a specified amount
for a vehicle travelling the distance between two points on the
infrastructure’ and states that ‘the amount shall be based on the distance travelled and on the category of
the vehicle.’ Will the Commission, therefore, make representations to the Greek authorities and the
contractor to persuade them to use a cheaper and more flexible system of toll pricing in order to fulfil the
purpose of the Attica motorway (cid:1) a project jointly funded by the EU (cid:1) which is to serve the needs of
road-users?

(1) OJ L 279, 12.11.1993, p. 32.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(10 April 2003)

Directive 1999/62/EC (1) is the Community legal instrument for the levying of taxes, tolls and user charges
on lorries above 12 tonnes. It is to be underlined that Member States levying tolls on vehicles below
12 tonnes do not have to comply with the provisions contained in Directive 1999/62/EC as such tolls fall
outside its scope.

Within the scope of the Directive that has replaced Council Directive 93/89/EEC of 25 October 1993 on
the application by Member States of taxes on certain vehicles used for the carriage of goods by road and
tolls and charges for the use of certain infrastructures, the principles of tolls have not changed. As the
Honourable Member has pointed out they are defined as ‘payment of a specified amount for a vehicle
travelling the distance between two points on the infrastructure’ where ‘the amount shall be based on the
distance travelled and on the type of the vehicle’. Therefore, it is clear that a flat rate irrespective of the
distance travelled raises some issues from the point of view of Community legislation that need to be
addressed.

The Commission will contact the Greek Authorities in order to clarify this point.

(1) Directive 1999/62/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 1999 on the charging of heavy goods

vehicles for the use of certain infrastructure, OJ L 187, 20.7.1999.

(2003/C 268 E/119)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0671/03

by Caroline Lucas (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(7 March 2003)

Subject: Chemical testing

In its resolution on the White Paper: Strategy for a future Chemicals Policy (1), the European Parliament
called for ‘more resources to be provided immediately to accelerate the development and validation of
further scientifically reliable, recognised and standardised alternative tests to replace animal tests in the