BRUSSELS, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Transportation ministers in Europe have agreed to allow European Union member states to impose taxes on heavy trucks considered environmental polluters.
"These new rules send the right signals to operators," EU transportation commissioner Siim Kallas said in a statement, the EUobserver reported Saturday.
"The aim is to incentivise a shift in behavior so companies invest more in efficient logistics, less polluting vehicles and more sustainable transport at large," Kallas said.
The agreement allows governments a variety of options for charging higher tolls on trucks, including having operators pay more for traveling during peak driving hours.
The new rules fit a "polluter pays" policy that transportation companies have resisted, the EUobserver said.
In a compromise, newer trucks were exempted from measure.
Transportation & Environment deputy director Nina Renshaw criticized an exemption for newer trucks. "Transportation ministers also took the bizarre decision to exempt current generation lorries from air pollution charges. That's rather like exempting smokers of low tar cigarettes from smoking bans," she said.
