The study's results back up claims by the rail lobby and show a very limited effect on final product prices, which NGOs hope will put new political energy into the stagnated revision of the Eurovignette directive. The report will be discussed by MEPs next month but as its conclusion is that transit nations will do better than peripheral nations, it is likely to encounter opposition from certain states.
Findings could boost Eurovignette revision
A study by the Commission's transport directorate and the Joint Research Centre of Sevilla says the overall benefits of charging vehicles for their external costs outweigh the limited negative price impacts on individual transport operators.