Romanian Govt starts procedures to introduce highway toll system

The Romanian Government approved a draft act which introduces a highway toll system alongside the existing road toll system, according to Mediafax newswire. The reason behind this decision is that the sums allotted from the state budget and from the country's public roads authority CNADNR are not enough to upkeep highways to be constructed with funds from the European Union. Romania currently has 320 kilometers of highway and should receive cohesion funds to build another 373 kilometers of highway. People close to the matter told Mediafax, citing the document, that analyses made by the European Commission showed the state budget and CNADNR cannot ensure the funds needed to upkeep highways. According to the sources, the EC said highway construction projects co-financed by the European Union will be approved only if Romania pledges to introduce a highway toll system. Romania currently levies several road infrastructure taxes which include car taxes, import duties, the rovignette, fuel excises, tolls charged for the use of bridges over the Danube, but the money so collected is not used entirely for road maintenance. Mediafax