28 February 2013: The European Environment Agency (EEA) has released a report analyzing the complex geographical influences on air pollution across Europe. “Road user charges for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs),” Technical report No 1/2013, includes the average costs of pollution of 66 vehicles, in 30 countries, and 108 cities.

According to the report’s estimates, health costs per kilometre range from nothing to over 30 eurocents for a non-Euroclass lorry more than 20 years old. The report estimates that air pollution from HGVs costs EEA member countries €43-46 billion per year, making up almost half of the approximately €100 billion cost of air pollution from road transport.

The report recommends that HGV road charges should reflect the varied health effects of traffic pollution in different European countries, and therefore be higher in some countries than in others. According to the report, Zurich, Switzerland, Bucharest, Romania, Milan, Italy, the Ruhr Valley, Germany, and Barcelona, Spain have some of the highest health costs compared to other large urban zones. [EEA Press Release] [Publication: Road user charges for heavy goods vehicles (HGV): Tables with external costs of air pollution]