Wallonia Revives Road Vignette Plan to Charge 'Millions of Europeans'
The Walloon government in Belgium is reviving plans to introduce a road vignette, a charge for using the Walloon road network. MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez has stated that the goal is to charge 'millions of Europeans who drive through Wallonia', rather than penalizing Belgian residents.
The Walloon government coalition, including the PS (Parti Socialiste), is set to introduce the road vignette around 2026. This electronic payment system, either a sticker or a digital variant, will require drivers to purchase it to use certain road systems. Walloon politicians are confident that the new proposal will comply with EU regulations and aim to implement it in the near future.
The Mouvement Réformateur (MR) and Les Engagés parties propose pricing the road vignette at 40 Swiss francs (€41 or £34) for 13 months. This plan is a revival of an old idea that was initially proposed in the Flemish political coalition agreement in 2004, with a planned implementation in 2009. However, EU legal objections, particularly from the Netherlands, prevented the initial introduction in 2009, and the idea was shelved by 2010.
The Walloon government is moving forward with plans to introduce a road vignette, with a proposed price of 40 Swiss francs for 13 months. The coalition is confident that the new proposal will comply with EU regulations and aim to implement it around 2026. This move is expected to generate revenue from international road users while not overburdening Belgian residents.
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