Belgium pushing through with expensive toll despite Dutch concerns
Belgium is pressing ahead with plans for a nationwide expensive road toll vignette despite objections from the Netherlands, unresolved legal risks under European Union law, and fresh political unease in Dutch border regions. Although no formal proposal has been finalized, Belgian officials are working toward introducing the vignette on Jan. 1, 2027, according to NOS. Details that leaked late last month indicate the annual fee would likely be set at between 100 and 120 euros.
Expected revenues of about 130 million euros have already been booked into the Flemish budget for next year and Belgian authorities say a written plan should be completed this spring.
The price has drawn scrutiny in the Netherlands. Caretaker Infrastructure Minister Robert Tieman said that the Dutch government does not object in principle to Belgium introducing tolls, provided fees reflect actual road usage. He said he was surprised by reports of a 100-euro annual rate, calling it “rather high.”
Tieman said Belgium is seeking to finance infrastructure improvements through a toll vignette and that he is open to discussions with Belgian counterparts. “I need to get more information on whether alternative approaches exist,” he said. “Paying based on usage is acceptable, but it has to be proportional.” He told NOS that the Dutch ambassador to Belgium has already contacted the Flemish government and that he plans to speak directly with the responsible Flemish minister.
Opposition has also emerged from Dutch border provinces. Harry van der Maas, Zeeland’s mobility commissioner, warned that the plan could harm the free movement of people and goods, which he said is vital for businesses. “Particularly for a border region such as Zeeland, and also for Noord-Brabant and Limburg in this case,” Van der Maas said.
Public reaction among Dutch motorists has been sharply critical. At the last gas station before the Belgian border, drivers had previously described the plan as “ridiculous” and “far too expensive,” questioning how they could avoid paying it. Some softened their stance when told the revenue would be used to improve highways in Vlaanderen and Wallonië. Belgian authorities note that residents of Vlaanderen and Wallonië pay for the roads, while millions of foreign motorists use them without contributing.
“Those who also make extensive use of them — the 6.5 million foreigners who race en masse over our roads — contribute nothing,” Flemish Finance Minister Ben Weyts said recently in the Flemish Parliament. He said the vignette would allow Belgium to invest significantly more in road infrastructure. Political support for the plan in Vlaanderen is broad, spanning parties from left to right.
Jasper Pillen, a lawmaker for the Flemish liberal opposition party Anders, said he understands the reaction in the Netherlands but supports the proposal. “I understand the fuss in the Netherlands,” Pillen said. “It’s logical — nobody likes paying for the use of roads in another country.” He questioned whether the timeline is realistic. “In political terms, that is the day after tomorrow. I doubt whether the minister will really succeed in producing a completely watertight plan.”
Legal concerns remain a major obstacle. A similar attempt by Germany to introduce a toll vignette collapsed after Austria, backed by the Netherlands, challenged the plan at the European Court of Justice in 2017. The court ruled that EU law does not allow systems in which foreign drivers pay tolls while domestic residents are compensated, calling such arrangements discriminatory.
Belgian politicians have said they do not want Flemish and Walloon residents to pay more for highways, which would require some form of compensation. Pillen said crafting such a system would be legally complex.
The dispute echoes an earlier episode in 2007, when Belgium also explored introducing a toll vignette, prompting friction with the Netherlands. Then–Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende persuaded Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme to abandon the plan after talks at the Catshuis. Leterme later described the idea as old-fashioned, and it was dropped.
Weyts, a member of the Flemish nationalist N-VA party, has shown little sign of backing down. “Work on the plans is continuing steadily,” he told the Flemish Parliament this week. He said the proposal would include cheaper options, such as a one-day or 10-day vignette.
If Belgium proceeds, the Dutch party Denk has called for countermeasures, including charging Belgian drivers to enter the Netherlands. Tieman has not ruled out retaliation, though he said any decision would fall to his successor.
Some Dutch motorists oppose that idea. “This is already such a childish action by the Belgians,” another driver said at the border gas station. “We shouldn’t sink to that level.”
