The meeting of Austrians, Italians, and Germans at the Brenner summit in February did not bring any result. Meanwhile, the Austrians are continuing block processing of trucks and published a new schedule.
At the border crossing point at Kufstein Nord, block processing will be carried out three times a month on average. The Tyrolean government has just published a calendar in which it has set 25 dates to process trucks in blocks. The nearest one is this week – March 22. The next, as previously announced, should be expected on March 30.
A calendar with processing times can be found on the state of Tyrol government website.
How does block processing look like?
At the border, police officers or customs officers control the number of trucks crossing the border. When it reaches the upper limit (i.e. 250 or 300), the next ones in the line must wait for an hour. After this time the procedure is repeated.
Germans voice their opposition
The governor of the state of Tyrol, Günther Platter, said that block processing limits the traffic in the Inntal valley and at the same time serves to improve the air quality and life of local residents. However, Germany is against this solution. The trucks were checked in blocks in Brenner in 2017 three times and there were huge traffic jams every time.
The Bavarian transport associations are demanding that proceedings be initiated against the Austrian region. According to German carriers, clearance at A12 violates the freedom of movement of services and goods, which is one of the foundations of the common European market.
Photo: Wikimedia / Jochen Teufel CCA SA 3.0
