As the Road User Charging Conference 2026 draws near, one of the speakers lined up to present is Bernardo Galantini, freight officer at Transport & Environment. The two-day event runs on 3 and 4 March in Brussels and brings together policymakers, industry leaders and operators to discuss tolling, road use charging and mobility pricing.
Who Bernardo Galantini is and what he works on
Bernardo Galantini focuses on policies and industry measures that promote the switch to zero-emission trucks across Europe. In his role at Transport & Environment he engages with policymakers and private sector actors to push for regulatory and market changes that make electric and hydrogen trucks commercially viable. He represents his organisation in a range of industry bodies and coordinates the Policy Working Group of the European Clean Trucking Alliance. His work has contributed to EU-level files relating to climate policy for transport.
What he will cover at the conference
Galantini will address the design and use of CO2-based truck tolls as a lever to speed the freight sector's shift to zero-emission vehicles. His session will examine how pricing structures that reflect emissions performance can reduce the operational cost gap between conventional and zero-emission trucks, thereby giving fleets clearer investment signals. He will also consider examples from EU Member States that have begun applying CO2-differentiated tolls and the lessons those experiences offer on creating regulatory certainty for companies planning fleet replacements.
Policy priorities and practical advice
In his public commentary ahead of the conference, Galantini stresses the importance of aligning user-financed transport systems with clear policy goals. He argues systems should remain straightforward and predictable, and that users should be involved early in design to build acceptance. He also highlights the need for coherence across objectives such as revenue generation, emissions reduction and fairness for different kinds of users. At an EU level, he views recent reforms including updates to the Eurovignette framework as moving in a supportive direction, while noting more consistent and timely implementation by Member States is required for full effect.
