6x more expensive road tolls will bankrupt the whole of Romania, local carriers warn

According to the plans of the Romanian Ministry of Transport, carriers will be able to pay up to six times higher tolls for more polluting trucks from 2026.

The imposition of 6 times more expensive highway tolls from 2026, then at least 16,250 euros per year from 2035, will bankrupt us and destroy Romania’s economy! In addition, other price increases, taxes and levies will be added,” expressed the indignation of the national transport association, COTAR.

According to COTAR’s calculations, the motorway sticker will be available in at least three years It will cost €7,050 for a new, low-emission Euro VI truckand then from 2035 to at least 16,275 euros per year, also for a Euro VI truck.

Carriers will only pay half the toll for an electric, clean truck, even though clean trucks shouldn’t have to pay stickers to cover the costs of pollution! This bill was mandated by the NPRR, but someone wrote it with the intent that bankrupt all carriers and cause famine,” reads the organization’s press release.

The price of the sticker in Romania will increase from 1,200 euros to 7,050 euros for Euro VI trucks from 2026, but the increase will be much higher for Euro V and Euro IV trucks. Currently, there are not even Euro VI trucks in Romania, adds the organization.

According to COTAR, if the toll is raised as planned, the price of the products will increase tenfold on the shelves and no one will be able to buy them, so the shops will go bankrupt.

“It’s not just about the carriers, it’s about the whole of Romania,” warns the organization.

According to COTAR, the draft of the toll increase was copied from the Austrian documentation and written into the Romanian draft.

“They didn’t take into account the big differences between Romania and Austria, but introduced taxes as if we were a country in the Schengen area, with many kilometers of highways and a monthly net minimum wage of 3,000 euros. No one asked us anything, they didn’t even ask us to explain exactly how a European directive was transposed into Romanian law, because this transposition must be based on a complete analysis of all factors, an evaluation by specialists. Normally if such taxes are imposed on us they should be applied after Romania has reached Austria’s level – which was taken as an example when the new tariffs for carriers were calculated – but first they should give us at least 5 years to produce and earn enough , like the Austrians, because after 5 years we could already pay the new tolls,” said Vasile Ștefănescu, president of COTAR.

According to the simulation presented by the Ministry of Transport, a sticker for a 40-ton truck for the same distance would cost 10,000 euros per year in Bulgaria, and 26,000 euros in Hungary. However, Hungary rejected the EU support provided through the NRRP and renegotiated most of the fees imposed under the guise of the support, COTAR reports on its website.

“If these fees are applied, all imported goods will be more than ten times more expensive on the shelf. Export will not be possible either, because together with the delivery, the price will not be competitive on foreign markets,” adds the organization.