Directive 2004/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 1 Objective and scope

1. This Directive lays down the conditions necessary to ensure the interoperability of electronic road toll systems in the Community. It applies to the electronic collection of all types of road fees, on the entire Community road network, urban and interurban, motorways, major and minor roads, and various structures such as tunnels, bridges and ferries.

2. This Directive does not apply to:

(a) road toll systems for which no electronic means of toll collection exists;

(b) electronic road toll systems which do not need the installation of on-board equipment;

(c) small, strictly local road toll systems for which the costs of compliance with the requirements of this Directive would be disproportionate to the benefits.

3. To achieve the objective set in paragraph 1, a European electronic toll service shall be created. This service, which is complementary to the national electronic toll services of the Member States, shall ensure the interoperability throughout the Community, for users, of the electronic toll systems that have already been introduced in the Member States and of those to be introduced in the future in the framework of this Directive.

Article 2 Technological solutions

1. All new electronic toll systems brought into service on or after 1 January 2007 shall, for carrying out electronic toll transactions, use one or more of the following technologies:

(a) satellite positioning;

(b) mobile communications using the GSM-GPRS standard (reference GSM TS 03.60/23.060);

(c) 5,8 GHz microwave technology

2. The European electronic toll service shall be brought into service pursuant to Article 3(1). Operators shall make available to interested users on-board equipment which is suitable for use with all electronic toll systems in service in the Member States using the technologies referred to in paragraph 1 and which is suitable for use in all types of vehicle, in accordance with the timetable set out in Article 3(4). This equipment shall at least be interoperable and capable of communicating with all the systems operating in the Member States using one or more of the technologies listed in paragraph 1. The detailed arrangements in this respect shall be determined by the Committee referred to in Article 5(1), including arrangements for the availability of on-board equipment to meet the demand of interested users.

3. It is recommended that new electronic toll systems brought into service after the adoption of this Directive use the satellite positioning and mobile communications technologies listed in paragraph 1. In respect of the possible migration to systems using such technologies by systems using other technologies, the Commission, in liaison with the Committee referred to in Article 5(1), shall draw up a report by 31 December 2009. This report shall include a study of use of each of the technologies referred to in paragraph 1, as well as a cost-benefit analysis. If appropriate, the Commission shall accompany the report with a proposal to the European Parliament and the Council for a migration strategy.

4. Without prejudice to paragraph 1, on-board equipment may also be suitable for other technologies, on condition that this does not lead to an additional burden for users or create discrimination between them. Where relevant, on-board equipment may also be linked to the vehicle's electronic tachograph.

5. Where Member States have toll systems, they shall take the necessary measures to increase the use of electronic toll systems. They shall endeavour to ensure that, by 1 January 2007 at the latest, at least 50% of traffic flow in each toll station can use electronic toll systems. Lanes used for electronic toll collection may also be used for toll collection by other means, with due regard to safety.

6. Interoperability work on existing toll technologies undertaken in connection with the European electronic toll service shall ensure the full compatibility and interfacing of those technologies with the technologies referred to in paragraph 1 and of their equipment with each other.

7. Member States shall ensure that processing of personal data necessary for the operation of the European electronic toll service is carried out in accordance with the Community rules protecting the freedoms and fundamental rights of individuals, including their privacy, and that, in particular, the provisions of Directives 95/46/EC and 2002/5 8/EC are complied with.

Article 3 Setting-up of a European electronic toll service

1. A European electronic toll service shall be set up which encompasses all the road network in the Community on which tolls or road usage fees are collected electronically. This electronic toll service will be defined by a contractual set of rules allowing all operators and/or issuers to provide the service, a set of technical standards and requirements and a single subscription contract between the clients and the operators and/or issuers offering the service. This contract shall give access to the service on the whole of the network and subscriptions shall be available from the operator of any part of the network and/or from the issuer.

2. The European electronic toll service shall be independent of the fundamental decisions taken by Member States to levy tolls on particular types of vehicles, of the level of charges and of the purpose for which such charges are levied. It shall concern only the method of collecting tolls or fees. The service shall allow for contracts to be concluded irrespective of the place of registration of the vehicle, the nationality of the parties to the contract, and the zone or point on the road network in respect of which the toll is due.

3. The system shall allow intermodality to develop without creating disadvantages for other modes of transport.

4. Where Member States have national systems of electronic toll collection, they shall ensure that operators and/or issuers offer the European electronic toll service to their customers in accordance with the following timetable:

(a) for all vehicles exceeding 3,5 tonnes and for all vehicles which are allowed to carry more than nine passengers (driver + 8), at the latest three years after the decisions on the definition of the European electronic toll service, as referred to in Article 4(4), have been taken;

(b) for all other types of vehicle, at the latest five years after the decisions on the definition of the European electronic toll service, as referred to in Article 4(4), have been taken.

Article 4 Features of the European electronic toll service

1. The European electronic toll service shall be based on the items listed in the Annex to this Directive.

2. Where appropriate, this Annex may be modified for technical reasons in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 5(2).

3. The European electronic toll service shall employ the technological solutions referred to. in Article 2, using specifications which shall be publicly available.

4. The decisions relating to the definition of the European electronic toll service shall be taken by the Commission in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 5(2), by 1 July 2006. Such decisions shall only be taken if all the conditions, evaluated on the basis of appropriate studies, are in place to enable interoperability to work from all points of view, including technical, legal and commercial.

5. If the decisions referred to in paragraph 4 are not taken by 1 July 2006, the Commission shall, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 5(2), set a new date by which such decisions are to be taken.

6. Technical decisions relating to the realisation of the European electronic toll service shall be taken by the Commission in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 5(2).

7. The Commission shall ask the relevant standardisation bodies, in particular the CEN, in accordance with the procedure laid down by Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations(1), to make every necessary effort rapidly to adopt standards applicable to electronic toll systems with regard to the technologies listed in Article 2(1).

8. Equipment for the European electronic toll service shall comply in particular with the requirements of Directives 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity(2) and Council Directive 89/336/EEC of 3 May 1989 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to electromagnetic compatibility(3).

Article 5 Committee procedure

1. The Commission shall be assisted by an Electronic Toll Committee (hereinafter "the Committee").

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 5 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.

The period laid down in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at three months.

3. The Committee shall adopt its Rules of Procedure.

Article 6 Implementation

Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive before ...(4). They shall immediately forward to the Commission the text of those provisions, together with a table correlating those provisions with this Directive.

When Member States adopt these measures, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. The methods of making such reference shall be laid down by Member States.

Article 7 Entry into force

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Article 8 Addressees

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Strasbourg, 29 April 2004.

For the European Parliament

The President

P. Cox

For the Council

The President

M. McDowell