New EU toll regulation, especially for Austria, a “disappointment”
The decision of the EU Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday on the Eurovignette Directive has led to harsh criticism in domestic politics. Environment and Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) described the directive as a “disappointment” despite “individual improvements”. Tyrolean governor Gunther Teller (ÖVP) sees the decision as a further disadvantage for rail and an increase in “transit pressure along the Brenner corridor”.
“I find it regrettable that the EU has missed its chance to close further opportunities for fair conditions between rail and road,” Gewessler stated in a broadcast. She saw the solution to be able to counteract the transit avalanche in an increased toll surcharge for mountain regions – such as in Tyrol. Such a system “would make the use of the railways for freight transport much more attractive and at the same time generate important financial resources for relieving the burden on the population,” she said. In any case, Austria will continue its efforts.
In a first reaction, Platter once again confirmed that he wanted to stick to the anti-transit measures such as sectoral driving bans, weekend driving bans and block handling. The EU will finally recognize “that its current transport policy is leading to a dead end and that people’s resentment about transit is increasing”. “From Strasbourg” a decision was made today that “completely disregards regional needs,” criticized the head of state. “Hugely burdened regions can only be relieved by an effective shift policy from road to rail,” Platter was convinced.
“Influence of the powerful transport and logistics lobbies”
Also Platter’s deputy and transport minister Ingrid Philip (Greens) was disappointed that the “urgently needed traffic turnaround” had not been heralded “with an ecological road cost guideline”. With higher tolls for transit traffic – as envisaged in the original draft proposal – “the cost truth achieved in this way could have promoted the shift to rail”. However, she criticized that the “influence of the powerful transport and logistics lobbies” prevented this. The form of the road cost guideline that has now been adopted would “bring even more truck traffic” to Tyrol, the green politician predicted. She appealed to now look for “trilateral solutions with Germany and Italy”.
The SPÖ traffic spokesman in the Tyrolean state parliament, Philip Wohlgemuth, also disagreed with the EU decision. However, the ÖVP and the Greens shared responsibility. “Apparent words of power” from Gewessler and Platter “remained unheard”, the Tyrolean MEPs Barbara Thaler (ÖVP) was “in no way able to assert herself” as EPP negotiator. At the state level, he took responsibility for the black-green state government, which had promised the Tyrolean population relief from transit traffic. “For four years, these announcements were not followed by any action,” said Wohlgemuth.
For the FPÖ MP Gerhard Hauser the Eurovignette decision is “bad news” from Strasbourg. A particular thorn in the side of the East Tyrolean was that a truck toll increase could only be introduced with the consent of the neighboring countries. This would make “a price increase on the Brenner route impossible because Germany and Italy had always been against a toll increase in the past”. Austria has “hardly any opportunity to assert itself within the EU,” he said.
The Tyrolean NEOS traffic spokesman also saw a somewhat surprising, but nonetheless disappointing result Andreas Leitgeb. Measures from Tyrol to bring about changes were “in vain”. “Today, the health and safety of the Tyroleans has been sacrificed to the goodwill of industry and freight forwarders. In the future, no one need be surprised if we stick to our emergency measures and driving bans so that we don’t suffocate completely in heavy traffic.”
The members of the Landtag of the Tyrolean List Fritz, Andrea Haselwanter-Schneider, took the same line and said that Tyrol would not be able to avoid “a drastic answer”. Switzerland has shown how a reduction in transit traffic can be achieved, namely through “dramatic tariff increases, a corresponding offer on the rails, strict controls and driving bans”. “Platter, Felipe, Gewessler and Co. should have rolled up their sleeves a long time ago,” she said.
Continuation of a “sick economic system”
The Transit Forum Austria-Tyrol chairman described it as “much ado about little”. Fritz Gurgiser the debate about the Eurovignette. Therefore, no more trucks would be on the Brenner route, as is now being said everywhere. “How? There’s no more room anyway. You would have to expand the motorway to four lanes,” Gurgiser explained to the APA and added: “This is a Eurovignette and not a Tyrol vignette”. In addition, more trucks would only drive if the Tyrolean measures such as block handling and driving bans were lifted again. On the contrary, the “thumbscrews should be tightened” in this respect, demanded the Transitform boss. However, what Thursday’s decision represents is the continuation of a “sick economic system”. The shift to rail was taken to the point of absurdity: “That’s a killer argument for the north-south shift to rail”.
The Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) also described the guideline as “not very satisfactory”. According to Alexander Klacska, head of the Federal Department of Transport and Traffic, “opportunities for greater harmonization of the toll systems within the EU” were not taken. It is now important to the WKÖ that “there is no double taxation of CO2 either in Austria or at EU level”. “Overlaps between the road cost directive and other instruments for pricing CO2 emissions from the Fit-for-55 package, such as the planned emissions trading, or higher energy taxes must be prevented at all costs,” he said. He would also have liked a stronger obligation to earmark toll revenue. “They need to be reinvested in the road transport sector,” said Klacska.