Romania raises road toll fees amid transport sector's call for postponement

The Romanian government has approved new tariffs for the national road network, increasing the price of the rovinieta (vignette) for cars to €50 per year and raising fines for drivers without a valid vignette to between 500 and 1,000 lei. New bridge crossing fees were also introduced for the Giurgiu–Ruse and Fetești–Cernavodă links, with charges ranging from €16 to €94 depending on vehicle type.

Transport operators, represented by the association COTAR, have asked the state to delay the rollout of the new electronic toll system. COTAR argues that the system is not yet ready, citing missing tests, unclear procedures and inadequate integration with existing vignette sellers. It also demands that vignettes already purchased remain valid until their natural expiry and warns that a sudden launch could cause delivery delays and logistical bottlenecks.

The government defends the changes as necessary to cover rising maintenance costs of an expanding highway network that now exceeds 1,280 km. It emphasizes that the updated fees will fund safety measures, snow removal, drainage, video monitoring and road upkeep.