Pricing Regulation Sample Clauses

Pricing Regulation. The above bring to the fore the need to regulate transport charging and pricing. European policies to regulate user charging vary across the different modes of transport, recognizing that the cost drivers, market rules and certain impacts— such as noise and congestion — vary in space, time and depend on the mode in question. The following sections summarize the existing rules for each mode of transport. Road According to the principle of subsidiarity, regions and/or Member States largely determine the rules governing road charging in Europe. The only exception is the charging of heavy duty vehicles in the Trans-European Network, where road charging schemes must comply with the so-called “Eurovignette Directive”12. This Directive aims to create a common framework for charging, which limits Member States from charging unfair amounts to heavy duty vehicles and discriminate them on the grounds of nationality of the haulier, country or place of establishment of the haulier or of vehicle registration, or the origin /destination of the transport operation. The Eurovignette Directive does not impose road charging, i.e. it’s up to the Member State to decide whether or not to implement a charging scheme for infrastructure financing. If the Member State decides to implement such a scheme it will be allowed to charge an amount based on the principle of the recovery of infrastructure costs only. Specifically, the weighted average tolls shall be related to the construction costs and the costs of operating, maintaining and developing the infrastructure network concerned. The weighted average tolls may also include a return on capital or profit margin based on market conditions. In addition to these costs, Member States may include in the user charges fees related to certain social costs of transport. In accordance with the 2011 White Paper, the ‘Eurovignette Directive’ represents a first step towards a higher degree of internalisation of costs generated by heavy goods vehicles, but disparities in national road charging policies will remain. Further action will examine the gradual phasing of a mandatory harmonized internalisation system for commercial vehicles on the entire inter-urban network. It is worth underlining that, according to the principle of subsidiarity, the EU does not regulate road user charges applicable to passenger cars and other light vehicles, nor does it impose any restriction on the activity of Member States outside the trans-European network (with t...