Germany is famous for its autobahns
The toll was supposed to start in October 2020. In practice, it was to be paid exclusively by foreign citizens, since the Bundestag simultaneously passed another law – it guaranteed German drivers compensation for the cost through a discount on the vehicle ownership tax.
Other European countries did not like this clever trick. In 2017, Austria filed a complaint with the EU Court of Justice, and the Netherlands later joined the lawsuit.
“This tax is discriminatory because its economic burden falls almost entirely on owners and drivers of vehicles registered in other EU member states,” the court ruling states.
Austrian Transport Minister Andreas Reichhardt welcomed the verdict, calling it a victory for the entire European Union. “As a convinced European, I believe this is a really good decision for the European community. It is a clear signal of fairness for Europe,” he told journalists in Vienna.
The European Court of Justice's decision means that Germany will have to abandon the adopted bill or amend it to remove the element of discrimination. For example, make the toll mandatory for all drivers, including its own. However, as Vinegret.cz notes, such a decision is unlikely to find support among German citizens.