A long-standing wish of some drivers is likely to come true soon. It will be possible to buy a vignette for one day in any member state in the European Union. The European Parliament (EP) approved this last week as part of new rules on truck tolls. Member countries will then be obliged to offer the one-day vignette to drivers.
“I am very pleased that we have achieved the introduction of a one-day vignette for all vehicles in circulation, which will allow passengers in transit to pay a fair price for their journey,” said EP rapporteur Giuseppe Ferrandino last Thursday after the new directive was approved.
The news will undoubtedly be appreciated by Czech drivers traveling by car on holiday to the seaside and crossing foreign countries, for which the one-day vignette is sufficient. However, the change will not happen immediately; the Member States have two years to make it happen.
In the Czech Republic, three e-vignettes are available to drivers: 10-day, 30-day, and annual. It is not yet clear exactly when the one-day vignette might become available. The Transport Ministry replied that the directive has not yet been published in the EU’s bulletin, and so it would not comment on it, adding that the regulation could still change at the last minute.
Several other changes have been made to the directive, mainly affecting trucks. They will now pay distance-based charges instead of time-based charges. The aim is to make it fairer for those who pollute the air regularly to pay.
Those who drive more environmentally friendly vehicles should then be rewarded. From 2026, EU countries will have to set different rates of road charges, which will vary according to the amount of CO2 emissions produced.