- Title: German Bundesrat gives controversial road toll green light
- Date: 31st March 2017
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (MARCH 31, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BUNDESRAT MEETING UNDERWAY GERMAN TRANSPORT MINISTER ALEXANDER DOBRINDT HAMBURG'S MAYOR OLAF SCHOLZ BAVARIAN STATE PREMIER AND LEADER OF CHRISTIAN SOCIAL UNION (CSU), HORST SEEHOFER LOOKING AT SMARTPHONE VARIOUS OF VISITORS FOLLOWING BUNDESRAT DEBATE VARIOUS OF DOBRINDT SPEAKING VICE STATE PREMIER OF NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA, SYLVIA LOEHRMANN TALKING CAMERAS (SOUNDBITE) (German) VICE STATE PREMIER OF NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA, SYLVIA LOEHRMANN, SAYING: "This road toll is wrong. It is wrong to erect border fences. This is especially fatal in the border regions, which are mainly concerned. We in North Rhine-Westphalia have borders with the Netherlands and Belgium and there are no road tolls for car drivers, this is going to have direct economical consequences for the border regions. All the mayors of the region are backing us, nevermind which party they belong to and they have all hoped for the conciliation committee to be called in." SEEHOFER ARRIVING (SOUNDBITE) (German) BAVARIAN STATE PREMIER AND LEADER OF CHRISTIAN SOCIAL UNION (CSU), HORST SEEHOFER, SAYING: "The infrastructure fee or so-called road toll is the right decision, we Germans pay in almost all countries of the European Union and therefore it is necessary that we charge a road toll for our highways." REPORTER TYPING DOBRINDT ARRIVING FOR STATEMENT PAN FROM REPORTERS TO DOBRINDT (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN TRANSPORT MINISTER, ALEXANDER DOBRINDT, SAYING: "I don't have any sympathy for Austria's whining about the road toll - a country which has charged a road toll for more than 20 years and makes sure that everyone driving into Austria contributes to the financing of their infrastructure. That they now act according to the motto: Everyone who drives into Austria should pay but Austrians shouldn't pay in Germany, isn't the European idea and therefore the urgent appeal to the Austrian colleagues to finally stop whining about the road toll and understand that what Austria takes for granted should also be allowed for other countries. And if car drivers from Germany should pay in Austria, then Austrians should pay in Germany." REPORTERS LISTENING
- Embargoed: 14th April 2017 11:20
- Keywords: road toll Dobrindt Bundesrat Austria legal challenge
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016AAJ32F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Germany's Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament, agreed on Friday (March 31) to introduce a road toll for cars registered abroad with prices linked to environmental criteria.
The German Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, originally approved a road charging system in 2015 that would have hit only foreign drivers, but the plan was kept on hold after the European Commission complained it would have been discriminatory and against EU rules.
The Commission, however, cleared the way for the draft law after some changes were made that would benefit foreigners on short journeys and those driving more environmentally friendly cars.
The German government expects the toll - a pet project of Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) party - to generate around 500 million euros ($540 million) per year in revenues from foreigners.
Austria will file a legal challenge against a planned German highway toll, the country's Transport Minister Joerg Leichtfried said on Friday shortly after the plan passed the Bundesrat.
The toll will cost vehicles up to 130 euros ($139) but Germans will be able to recover the cost through tax deductions. Austria says that is discriminatory. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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