The time for interlocutions and attempts at dialogue is over. And so Matteo Salvini is ready to go personally to the Brenner Pass to protest the unilateral bans imposed by Austria on heavy vehicles crossing one of the busiest alpine passes for trucks to go from the north to the south of Europe. «Far from being a “green” choice, the Austrian government with its illegal bans harms the environment and economic development throughout Europe – says the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport -. Pending the infringement procedure in Brussels, I will be at the border shortly. The rules must apply to everyone. The support received from Italy for its application to the EU Transport Council, promoted by Germany and supported by several European countries, proves that we are right”. The question is not new. Until now, Brussels has turned a deaf ear, taking its time and letting Vienna act undisturbed in defiance of the Treaties on the Free Movement of Men and Goods. Berlin has also complained for some time about the repercussions of the bans on the German economy and traffic in Bavaria. The queues of trucks on the Brenner Pass were fifty kilometers long, as the German Transport Minister put it.
“It is necessary to find a common solution to guarantee the usability of this connection between the North and the South – underlined Volker Wissing -. We have to protect the environment and transport and the time has come to do something about it”. Salvini has already taken the hard line, so he will formalize the request for an EU infringement procedure against Austria. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria and the Netherlands also aligned themselves with the Italo-German axis against Vienna. And despite this, Europe remains stagnant. The Romanian Adina Vlean, EU Commissioner for Transport, is eloquent: “This is an old problem, which concerns us all. But we cannot find solutions overnight. More endowments will come in the base tunnel which will raise the population. But until it is ready, we will have to find a middle ground.” Salvini had also raised the issue last June 1 at the Transport Council in Luxembourg, inviting “the Commission to intervene as guardian of the Treaties to restore the right to full freedom of movement for all European citizens”. On the occasion, the Minister of Transport held a bilateral conversation with his Czech counterpart Martin Kupka, reinforcing understanding between the two countries also with regard to the Brenner “dossier”.
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
