Germany cancels road toll contracts with companies after EU court ruling (updated)

Kapsch TrafficCom AG

19/06/2019 09:52

(Adds comments from companies)
    BERLIN, June 19 (Reuters) - Germany has cancelled its
contracts with the companies charged with setting up a highway
toll system for cars, a Transport Ministry spokesman said on
Wednesday after the EU's highest court ruled that the plan
breached European Union law.
    German ticket operator CTS Eventim  EVDG.DE  and Austrian
road systems specialist Kapsch TrafficCom  KTCG.VI  were awarded
a 2-billion-euro ($2.24 billion) contract in December to operate
the toll.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N23P1KJ
    Asked about possible damage for German taxpayers linked to
the cancelled contracts, the Transport Ministry spokesman said
he had no immediate comment.
    A CTS Eventim spokesman declined to comment on the
cancellation of the contract but said the company stood by its
statement on Tuesday that the contracts contained protective
provisions that guard against damages for the operating company
and its shareholders.
    "These also apply in case the infrastructure charge should
not be introduced," CTS Eventim had said on Tuesday.
    A Kapsch TrafficCom spokesman had no immediate comment on
the cancellation.       

 (Reporting by Michael Nienaber, editing by Riham Alkousaa and
Michelle Martin)
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