Green light for Austrian freight

Austria is angry over EU backing for a compromise deal allowing heavy road freight to cross the Alpine country.

Europe’s environment ministers on Monday snubbed Vienna protests to give the green light to proposals thrashed out between national governments and the European Parliament.

Austria has ‘opt outs’ on European single market legislation as a sop to domestic environmental concerns but under the EU agreement heavy lorries will be allowed to cross the country.

Only the most polluting trucks or oldest vehicles will be banned or subject to a quota system.

Other freight will be allowed access and will no longer be required to seek “ecopoints” to gain permission to use Austria’s roads.

Vienna have rejected an “an expensive system and one that doesn't warrant the term 'eco'”.

“It won't stop trucks transiting through the Alps or provide an incentive to switch from road to rail,” said Austrian Transport Minister Hubert Gorbach.

“This is something that would have no ecology-friendly effects and be impossible to implement.”

Austria’s “ecopoints” were first set up in 1995, aiming to protect the country's alpine environment from the fumes of international lorry traffic and limit emissions of nitrogen oxide.

Lorry drivers are obliged to pay for "ecopoints", which are traded against the level of nitrogen oxide emissions from their vehicles.

Under the new rules that will last until December 2006, the most polluting freight - those clocking up more than eight points - will be banned from 2005.

But there will be a complete liberalisation of category five points and under in an effort to encourage environmentally-friendly hauliers.

The total number of ecopoints to be allocated to all countries will be 6,593,479 for 2004, reduced by five per cent in 2005 and a further five per cent in 2006.

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