Europe's truckers would have to pay for the pollution, traffic jams and noise they cause if the European Commission gets its way.

The European Union's executive arm is putting the finishing touches on proposals that would hit road haulers with special new toll fees for the environmental damage their trucks cause, which it hopes to bring out in June.

Before hammering out the details on how the unprecedented toll fees would be calculated, the commission was sounding out EU transport ministers at meeting in Slovenia on Monday and Tuesday.

"It looks like there will be a pretty ferocious battle in the months ahead with some countries resistant to any idea of tolls," an official close to EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said.

The French commissioner wants haulers to invest in less polluting trucks while also giving a boost to other, greener modes of transport such as trains or canals.

Currently, three-fourths of all goods in Europe are transported by road, putting strain on the environment and infrastructure — not to mention other drivers’ nerves.

Under a 15-year-old law known as the Eurovignette directive, toll fees can be used only to build and maintain roads.

But under the proposals, proceeds from the new fees would be plowed into other transport projects deemed to be more "sustainable" or alternatively could be used for medical costs as well as damage to farmland and other ecosystems.

However, using the money for accidents has been ruled out in order to avoid the socially sensitive idea of putting a price on road deaths and other injuries.

At the technical level, the new fees would be applied electronically or by using satellites in order to avoid long queues at toll booths, where idle trucks pollute heavily.

In the past, the idea of using toll fees for environment has faced stiff resistance from some EU countries.

However, recently protecting the environment has climbed up Europe's agenda with the EU legally committed to cutting its emissions of greenhouse gases by 20 percent from 1990 levels.

Although the proposals, which would only affect trucks weighing over 3.5 tonnes, would for the first time allow countries to apply such environmental toll fees, they would not make them obligatory.

During the meeting in Slovenia, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, transport ministers were also to be give their opinion on the possibility — further down the road — extending such toll fees to cars too.

While road haulers fear for the profitability of their industry if the tolls are put in place, the freight rail sector is satisfied with the project.

AFP