06/22/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/22/2021 08:12
It is not easy to provide a clear judgment on the provisional agreement reached on Eurovignette at the trialogue of 15 June. The positive elements present in the text will, in fact, not be enforceable until very late, preventing sustainable modes of transport such as rail from benefitting from the improved competitive conditions with road. As the text of the provisional trialogue agreement is under scrutiny by decision-makers, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) would like to highlight the following elements of the deal.
It must be reiterated that modal shift will only happen once the user- and polluter-pays principles are fully applied in all modes.
CER therefore looks forward to evaluating the further legislative proposals that will be put forward under the Fit for 55 package, in the hope that it could represent a positive step towards the full internalisation of CO2 emissions for all transport modes.
CER Executive Director Alberto Mazzola said: 'The priority measures needed to establish a level playing field between rail and road are far from being achieved. The railway sector is ready to carry more passengers and goods, but we need more ambition and fairness in the application of the user- and polluter-pays principle across all modes'.