In Europe, regulation on weights and dimensions of trucks are prescriptive, rather than performance based, as it is introduced in some other countries (Australia, Canada, South Africa). The performance based standards (PBS) allow more flexibility in the vehicle design and optimize their performances with respect to the infrastructure constraints. Thus, PBS facilitate innovation and industrial progresses, while mitigating adverse effects on infrastructure and road safety. Therefore, the European project FALCON (2016-2018), supported by CEDR proposed a methodology for the development of performance-based criteria and future PBS in Europe. This paper presents the approach developed for bridges and pavements criteria assessment and implementation. For bridges, an exhaustive catalogue of structures has been developed, made of a pool of influence lines representative of the European bridge stock. Then, several design traffic load models used in the EU Member States, including the load models proposed in the Eurocode EN1991-2 Traffic loads on road bridges have been applied and compared on these structures. The governing load models and structures for the current traffic loads have been determined. This enabled proposing a performance-based standard approach, using either a bridge formula or a well-chosen upper limit of the load effects induced by the authorized heavy vehicles. For pavements, a catalogue representing the standard, bituminous and rigid, European pavement structures was developed. The various wears have been reviewed, and design criteria have been listed. The individual impacts of the vehicles of a reference fleet have been calculated, making possible to rank them in terms of aggressiveness for the pavement. That paves the way for a future PBS approach of heavy vehicle type approval, or a revision of the European Directive 2015/719 on commercial vehicles weights and dimensions. It also opens new perspectives to develop a SIAP (Smart Infrastructure Access Programme) to be implemented on the Trans-European road Network, as a tool to enhance the durability of the existing infrastructure with the lowest restrictions on the road freight movements.