Luxembourg, 26/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - Noting, over lunch, that the debate was in impasse on the matter of ecopoints and reduction of road traffic through Austria, the Transport Council referred the issue to Coreper. The Council still has 90 days to find a compromise and to possibly amend the Commission proposal by unanimity. Failing this, the decision will be up to the Commission. The European executive has proposed to reduce, over three years, the number of ecopoints available for road transit through Austria by 30% in 2000, 30% in 2001, 30% in 2002 and 10% in 2003. Austria states it is willing to accept this spreading over three years (instead of one year legally provided for by the accession protocol), on condition that there is a mechanism to ensure traffic will not exceed: 1.7 million lorries in 2000, 1.6 in 2001, 1.7 million in 2002 and 1.5 million in 2003. Italy, on the other hand, considers that the reduction proposed by the Commission is far too high and it challenges the statistics used. Germany would like to reverse the rate of reduction, with reduction of 10% in ecopoints in 2000 and 30% the following years. Austria and Italy, for diametrically opposed reasons, threatened to refer the matter to the European court of Justice if the Commission adopts its proposal as it is in September.
Devoting most of its work to maritime issues the the European Single Sky (see other articles), the Transport Council rapidly tackled the other points on the agenda. EUROPE will report in tomorrow's issue.