Brussels, 29/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The International Road Transport Union (IRU), states in a press release that the reduction of traffic in Austria proposed by the Commission in the framework of the eco-point system is "economically, politically and environmentally irresponsible". After exceeding by 15% the authorised threshold for road transit journeys in Austria in 1999, the Commission last week proposed a reduction of around 330,000 authorised journeys in Austria by 2003 (see EUROPE of 25 May, p. 11). The IRU is of the view that the EU agreed to this reduction for "purely political reasons and without consideration of the economic impact". In addition, the IRU is concerned about road blocks in the Brenner corridor by environmentalists, announced for June. It has called on the European authorities to "take urgent measures to prevent serious disruption of operation of the internal market".
Based on the fact that the eco-point system (assigned according to vehicle pollution levels) resulted in a 10% decline in NOx emissions between 1997 and 1999, the truckers note that "in practice, the monitoring of heavy goods vehicles in transit in Austria clearly demonstrates that their emissions have declined considerably, in spite of the higher number of vehicles in circulation".
The IRU also accuses Austria of not respecting its undertakings, by failing to set into place additional rail infrastructure to compensate for the reduction in road capacity linked to the eco-point system. This system was set into place within the framework of a protocol to Austria's Act of Accession, as a means of reducing NOx emissions in the country by 60% between 1991 and 2003.