Long-running favorite Transit – Mattle in Rome: “Solution with Italy still possible”

The Tyrolean governor described the meeting with Mantovano, who is considered Prime Minister Meloni’s “right hand” in the field of transit traffic, as “extremely constructive”. The country’s head stressed that the fact that Prime Minister Meloni’s foreign policy adviser was also present gave the meeting a “special meaning”. As the Italian legal case against Austria is still in its early stages, there is still room for discussions in the search for technical solutions.

“Lock system would improve the situation”
“A solution with Italy is still possible: with the intelligent traffic management system that we are continuing together with Bavaria and South Tyrol, a solution is on the table. The ‘lock system’ would help improve the situation for Tyrol and Italy,” Mattle emphasizes.

The main aim should be to make rail freight transport as easy as road freight transport. In addition to sufficient infrastructure, this requires the dismantling of national rules and operating regulations in rail transport. “To make rail attractive, existing obstacles must be removed, such as brake tests and personnel changes when crossing borders, which take time. Because they cause a loss of time for the logistics staff who use the train,” Mattle argued.

Salvini’s conditions are not acceptable to Tyrol
The governor saw opportunities for negotiations with Italy, also with the support of the European Commission. “The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has repeatedly invited people to trilateral talks. So far it has been difficult to start talks because Italian Transport Minister Matteo Salvini has made the end of all transit measures a condition for starting talks, which is an unacceptable position for Tyrol. “That’s why today’s conversation is very important to me, because maybe on that basis we can develop trilateral solutions,” Mattle said.

“Mega load placed on the burner”
The governor said more goods were transported via the Brenner route than across the French-Italian border. Trade between Italy and Germany has increased enormously in recent years. Germany exports goods worth 91 billion euros to Italy, and the trade volume from Italy to Germany amounts to 76 billion euros. “Of course this has put enormous pressure on Brenner in recent years. “In addition, traffic on the Swiss and French axes has decreased and the Brenner had to accommodate this traffic,” says Mattle.

Transit Forum: “Toni is doing his best”
Praise for Mattle came from Transit Forum chairman Fritz Gurgiser: “Toni is trying.” Any advertising for charity should be viewed positively. However, Gurgiser did not expect that this would result in a push towards a solution: “To be honest, this advertisement has had no effect for thirty years.” The fronts are too tight. It would be more success-oriented if Tyrol, together with the federal government, tried to get the most out of the existing legal system.

However, for Gurgiser, the ‘slot system’ with bookable truck rides is a ‘fundamental mistake’; After all, it’s about diverting traffic, not reducing it. “The lock system only works when the highway is full,” says Gurgiser. Instead, the chairman of the Transit Forum again proposed using existing digital traffic management systems and connecting them with overhead signposts from Italy, Austria and Germany. These would now be ready to use virtually at the push of a button. “We have the burden now, not in ten or twenty years,” the chairman of the Austria-Tyrol Transit Forum recalled.

“Difficult but compelling decision”
The Italian case before the Court of Justice was decided last week by the Council of Ministers. Salvini had previously mobilized for months against Tyrolean measures, such as sectoral truck driving bans or night driving bans, and made threats, including recently during a visit to the Brenner Pass. Italy said it was a “difficult but compelling decision given the position of the European Commission and the impossibility of reaching a negotiated solution.”

“For the first time in the history of the Italian Republic, the Council of Ministers has decided to appeal to the Court of Justice in Luxembourg against the transit bans unilaterally imposed by the Austrian government on the Brenner Pass,” Salvini explained.