1. INFRASTRUCTURE AS A FREE LUNCH FOREVER AND FOR ALL?
Lode Verkinderen
Secretary General UETR
Belgrade, 10th April 2014

2. Importance of Road Infrastructure
Basis for economic development and prosperity
No efficient trade without infrastructure
Modal split passengers/ goods
Missing links
Traffic’s evolution and predictions
Congestion

3. Historical background
Motorways : lubricant for treaty principles young EU
Linking cities and countries
Attention for public spending secondary
Private (co-)financing
“free” use of motorways or toll …
Many EU-countries: little expansion of network since 1980ies

4. Road infrastructure needs 2014
New EU MS still developing basic infrastructure
25 years underfinancing of maitenance & expansion
Traffic previsions
Building infrastructure = time consuming process
Free = tax payers bill
Public spending ever more problematic
Financial crisis hits credit situation of investors
No more “new” infrastructure for free

5. How to finance infrastructure
Public Private Partnerships
TEN-T co-financing (%, road?)
User pays principle…

6. Existing taxes Vehicle excise duty (per annum/ EU minima)
Time based taxes (Eurovignette)
Excise duties on petrol and diesel
Non-user does not pay?

7. User pays Only real costs for infrastructure use (old infrastructure?)
No time dependent tariffs if only for trucks (no influence on congestion)
Revenue : road infrastructure (no cross financing : see case CH) earmarking
External costs : less polluting trucks (Euro norms) pay less, but no budget neutral approach !
External costs: noise (but what measures for hinder reduction?)
Other modes and other road vehicles : when?

8. HVALA NA PAŽNJI !