Preliminary assessment of the fourth payment request of Romania

Number and name of the Milestone: RO-C[C4]-R[R1.0]-M[59] Entry into force of the legal act(s) for the implementation of a new distance-based charging system for heavy duty vehicles (trucks) linked to air pollution, and higher ownership taxes for most polluting passengers vehicles (cars/buses/coaches)

Related Measure: RO-C[C4]-R[R1.0] Sustainable transport, decarbonisation and road safety

Qualitative Indicator: Provision in the legal act(s) indicating the entry into force of the legal act(s)

Time: Q2 2023

1. Context:

This reform has the objective to support the transition towards sustainable and smart mobility by reforming the transport system in Romania.

Milestone 59 requires the entry into force of legal act(s) for the implementation of a truck charging system based on distance travelled and air pollution, as well as higher vehicles ownership taxes for polluting cars, buses, and coaches.

Milestone 59 is the fourth step of the implementation of the reform and follows the completion of milestones 65, 66, and 69, related to the adoption of the road safety strategy and legislation, as well as the adoption of the railway infrastructure strategy. It is accompanied by milestone 60 related to the entry into force of legal act(s) to boost the use of clean vehicles and fleet renewal in this payment request, and it will be followed by targets 61 and 62, related to, respectively, increasing the share of clean vehicles procured by contracting authorities, and scrapping 250 000 polluting motor vehicles (EURO 3 or below) as well as increasing the zero-emission fleet to 35 500 vehicles in total.

2. Evidence provided:

                        Name of the evidence                         Short description

          1          Cover Note                   Summary document duly justifying how the
                                                  milestone (including all the constitutive
                                                  elements) was satisfactorily fulfilled.
          2          Copy of Law No. 226/2023 The Law establishes a new distance-based
                     on the enforcement of charging system for heavy duty vehicles (trucks).
                     road charges on the
                     national road network in
                     Romania, published in the
                     Official Journal No. 659 on
                     18 July 2023.
          3          Copy of Law No. 239/2025 The Law establishes, among others, vehicles
                     on establishing measures ownership tax increasing with the vehicles’

                     for the recovery and pollution norms.
                     efficiency     of     public

32