Ex-transport Minister Ramsauer (CSU) has failed with the foreigners toll against European law. He knew it from the beginning.

Ex-Federal Minister of transport Peter Ramsauer (CSU) takes his Onon follower Scheuer in the protection of photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

BERLIN taz | Merkel, Seehofer and Gabriel are for the road toll-a Disaster, because you are seeing eye as the party Chairman in the coalition agreement of 2013, a Europe-illegal default have written. The Federal Minister of transport, Andreas Scheuer (CSU) could make this "mortgage" is nothing else, as he has done. Of his Predecessor and party colleague, Peter Ramsauer, at least, is convinced, in whose term of office from 2009 to 2013, Scheuer, state Secretary in the Federal Ministry of transport.

"Scheuer at all was left nothing else than the things to," said Ramsauer during his interrogation in the investigation Committee to the toll for Cars in the Disaster. Ramsauer was clear from the outset that the chosen route was for the German foreigner toll in contravention to European law.

The Committee of inquiry should clarify the connections to the failed toll for foreigners. The levy was a prestige project of the CSU, campaigned in the parliamentary election in 2013. The Federal Minister of transport, Andreas Scheuer (CSU) had taken over the project when he took office in the spring of 2018 from his predecessor, Alexander Dobrindt.

shy had closed by the end of the year 2018, the contracts with companies should organise the Collection of the road usage fee. At this time, a lawsuit in Austria and the Netherlands against the project, however, is still pending. In June 2019, the European court of justice (ECJ) has collected the levy on the grounds that it would discriminate against EU citizens. The operators are now asking for damages of more than half a billion euros.

Ramsauer did not want to comment on this, why Scheuer has signed the contracts before the judgment of the ECJ. "Because I would venture not a judgment, that would be a complete and total arrogance," said the former transport Minister. "Politics is a hell of a dialectical total complex."

unlike Scheuer Ramsauer was surprised by the judgment of the ECJ in no way. "It hurts me that I have to keep my evaluation right," he said.

In November 2013, Ramsauer had been clarified with representatives of the EU Commission, the conditions under which Germany is a toll for foreigners could introduce. The Problem is the coupling with the reduction of motor Vehicle tax for domestic vehicle owner was. Wanted to the CSU, the domestic holder should not be asked to pay.

That would have been possible, but not in a direct connection with the toll, said Ramsauer. It had to give in the reduction of motor Vehicle tax winners and losers, for example through the introduction of certain criteria, such as pollutant emissions. The said its Brussels interlocutor clearly. The tax relief should therefore not be made for each holder one-to-one to the toll burden. He had presented also during the coalition negotiations in 2013, said Ramsauer.

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel have refused, because they had promised during the election campaign that no vehicle would holder be charged in addition. For this reason it was not included Ramsauer's formulation of a proposal that domestic vehicle owners would pay the total. Instead, it was said that not a single domestic vehicle owner will also be charged.

The party Chairman, the Europe had been the legal Problem clear. Merkel and the then SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel does not have it gestörrt, because they wanted the toll Yes. And is assumed to be full-time CSU Chairman Horst Seehofer, that the Problem is already somehow solved politically.

The small, but Europe is legally crucial difference in the coalition agreement had been for his successor a burdensome mortgage, said Ramsauer. Specifically, he took his party friends in protection. "You have done this, what you could do is, to the best Knowledge and belief of it," said Ramsauer. He pointed out the risks. "You have done everything to minimize the risks," he claimed.

The Bundestag has voted to Ramsauer's office twice about the toll project. On both votes of the Ex-Minister of transport did not participate.