At the end of last year, the French government published a decree that will link HGV tolls to CO2 emissions. However, it is not known when the new tolls will come into force. One thing is certain: not before 2031.
At the end of last year, France implemented the EU’s Eurovignette Directive, which requires all member states to introduce emissions-based road pricing. The EU deadline for implementation is 25 March 2024.
And the French government has done so – but with a twist. Although the new regulation was published in the national official gazette on Tuesday 30 January, it will not apply until the current motorway concessions expire. And that will be in 2031 at the earliest.
The regulation in question is called Decree No. 2023-1207 and provides for the adjustment of road tolls for goods and passenger vehicles with a maximum authorised weight of more than 3.5 tonnes.
The charges “will be modulated according to the carbon dioxide emission class of the vehicle. The amplitude of this modulation will be determined by the specification annexed to the concession contract,” reads the decree published in the Official Journal.
The ministerial decree will specify the emission classes and the modulation amplitude for each.
The EU initiative aims to promote environmental awareness in the heavy vehicle sector by linking tolls to emissions and reducing the environmental impact of road transport.