TRANSPORT COUNCIL TO DEBATE BRENNER SITUATION
The next Transport Council meeting will take place on 1st June in Luxembourg. Transport Ministers of the EU will have the opportunity to exchange on current EU-related transport and prepare for the next Presidency which will be held by Spain.
Following the recently submitted legislative package on road safety in March, transport ministers will hold a policy debate on the Commission’s proposal for a revised directive on driving licences. The Swedish Presidency will also inform ministers on the state of play of the other current transport-related initiatives, such as the conclusions of the trilogue negotiations on AFIR, FuelEU Maritime and ReFuelEU Aviation, or the ongoing negotiations on the Single European Sky and the revised ITS Directive.
Finally, Member States will exchange on the free movement of goods along the Brenner motorway. Over the last decade, the Tyrol region in Austria imposed quantitative restrictions on goods transport by road in the Brenner region (sectoral traffic bans, driving bans at certain times and days) and has strongly encouraged a modal shift from road to rail. Despite considerable efforts to increase the supply of rail freight and combined transport capacity, these efforts have proven insufficient to alleviate the challenges created by the multiple driving restrictions, hampering the free movement of goods along a key European corridor. The current Italian government has been gradually increasing the pressure on the Commission and is actively calling for legal action against Austria. During the Transport council, it is expected that Germany and Italy possibly supported by other countries will call on the Commission to start infringement proceedings against Austria.
Source: Council of the EU