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Deutschlands Verkehrsminister Andreas Scheuer. War die Kündigung der Maut-Verträge eine politisch motivierte Kurzschlussreaktion?
© AFP/Kappeler
Berlin – German transport minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) is facing serious charges to clear up the debacle over motorway car tolls. The head of planned operator CTS Eventim, Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, told the Bundestag inquiry committee on Thursday that he had offered the minister to wait until the European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled before signing the contracts.
The reason for this was also that the financing of the offer price was not covered by budget titles. But Scheuer decided to refuse to wait. He said starting the car toll in election year 2021 would be unacceptable and the toll would have to start in 2020, Schulenberg said. Scheuer made clear that there were several reports in the ministry that “unanimously and clearly” classified the planned car toll as compatible with EU law.
However, the ECJ later annulled German plans for a car toll in June 2019. As a result, the Transport Ministry terminated the contracts and has since been in a legal dispute with the companies involved, who want their preparatory work be compensated.
The Ministry of Transportation justified the termination in addition to the ECJ ruling due to lack of performance and cooperation problems. Schoolsberg assured us that we adhere to the program at all times. The federal government had given notice instead of sitting down with the operators to find a solution. In general, the ECJ did not question the toll, only the simultaneous relief of German drivers. As a result, the toll would only be applied de facto to foreigners, which is contrary to EU law.
“From my point of view, this approach is a long way from dealing fairly with business partners,” said Schulenberg. The reasons for termination are important to the ongoing arbitration. The companies are demanding a compensation of 560 million euros from the federal government. This is denied.
At the end of 2018, CTS Eventim and Austrian toll technology provider Kapsch TrafficCom were awarded the contract to collect and control toll for German cars. To do this, the two companies founded the joint venture Autoticket. Its managing director, Volker Schneble, said the same thing on the committee that Schulenberg said Thursday.
Until the contract was terminated shortly after the European Union Court of Justice stopped the toll, the project’s traffic lights would have been “constantly green.” The termination was spontaneous and for political reasons. Schneble spoke of a “short-circuit reaction” and a “clear foul play” for which the minister was responsible. From the operator’s point of view, the implementation of the toll would have been legally possible even after the ECJ ruling.
Scheuer should also be heard at the inquiry committee Tuesday night. His statement was not yet available at the time of publication. In an appearance in the Bundestag a year ago, he denied that the operators had offered to wait for the ECJ’s decision. (TT, dpa)
