A year ago Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels joined hands in their commitment to introduce a common road tax vignette for passenger cars. Flemish Minister for Mobility Hilde Crevits and Flemish Minister-president Kris Peeters both CD&V party members are currently working on the implementation of the agreement, which ended up as a typical Belgian compromise, with Wallonia agreeing on a kilometre levy for lorries in exchange for a road tax vignette for passenger vehicles in the three regions. It was eventually scheduled for introduction on 1 January 2013. But in the end the implementation of the political agreement seemed less straightforward. Fifteen ministers are involved and questions about the introduction of the road tax constantly forwarded from the one ministerial office to the other. Brussels Public Works and Transport Minister Brigitte Grouwels CD&V yesterday mentioned in an interview in Metro that she was considering a smart kilometre levy for passenger vehicles in the capital to boost the Brussels public transport company MIVB’s income. She does not believe these new plans are detrimental to the former agreement between the regions, which only mentions a kilometre levy for trucks. The introduction of a kilometre levy for passenger cars will reduce congestion in the capital, she hopes. The insistence on the acceleration of this process for Brussels comes as no surprise as the metropolitan region does not stand to earn much from a kilometre levy for trucks.

As far as the implementation of the interregional agreement is concerned, after extensive research a consortium has evidently prepared a study on the technical, legal and financial conditions. It is expected that the memo will be released during the next few months, when the consultant will refer it to a private partner. Whether the 2013 deadline will still be made, seems unlikely if one listens to comments made by the Walloon Minister of Public Works, Carlo Di Antonio cdH and Walloon Budget Minister, André Antoine cdH. Neither rules out a delay until 2014. Brussels will keep to the scheduled time frame while Flanders prefers to wait on the consultant’s memo before making any statements. Opposition member and MP Lode Vereeck LDD believes technically the introduction next year is impossible, saying: “The kilometre levy for trucks involves the installation of small computers inside the trucks. But a public tender with all necessary specifications has not even been written yet. This will probably happen in April or May and then the European tender process takes 3 months. After that the devices actually will still have to be made and fitted in the lorries.”