Slovenia introduces air pollution, noise fee for trucks

The Slovenian parliament has amended the Toll Act, introducing a fee for external costs related to air pollution and noise for trucks with a maximum authorized mass exceeding 3.5 tons.

The amendments to the Toll Act represent the transposition of the European Union’s Eurovignette Directive regarding external cost fees for trucks for air pollution and noise, news agencies reported, according to Forbes.

The EU directive is aimed at ensuring a fairer distribution of costs caused by road traffic. The fee amount will be determined based on reference values defined in the annex to the directive, and the revenues will go into the state budget.

Družba za Avtoceste v Republiki Sloveniji has estimated the total income to the budget at EUR 27.6 million annually

Slovenia’s road management firm, Družba za Avtoceste v Republiki Sloveniji (DARS), has estimated the total income to the budget at EUR 27.6 million annually. About 60% of users of the Slovenian highway network are foreign freight vehicles.

The new fee, which will be charged starting April 1, is expected to increase tolls by an average of about 7%. The revenues will be used to improve the country’s transportation system, reduce its environmental footprint, and develop transportation infrastructure.

The revenues will be used to improve the country’s transportation system, reduce its environmental footprint, and develop transportation infrastructure

Around 50% of the revenues is expected to be used for financial incentives for the road transportation sector. The subsidies should help improve the vehicle fleet, both in terms of emissions and fuel consumption, optimize and digitalize logistics, establish safe and secure parking areas, and introduce technological solutions for vehicle tracking.

The rest of the funds are intended for incentives to promote rail freight transportation, upgrade national road infrastructure, digitalize the transportation system, and improve traffic safety.

In its August 2025 report on the implementation of the Eurovignette Directive, the Association of European Vehicle Logistics (ECG) found that Slovenia was among the EU member states that had adopted the act, but that further action was pending.