“If this were a normal EU country, like Austria and Tyrol, we wouldn’t have this problem,” Ohler said.
Searching for “game changer”
Local residents on both sides of the aisle are dissatisfied with the committee’s efforts to resolve the crisis.
Attempts by the European Commission to negotiate a compromise between Austria, Italy and Germany did not achieve any results.
One effort is to boost rail transport through the 64-kilometre-long Brenner Core Tunnel, which is under construction at a cost of more than 8 billion euros. The opening of the tunnel has been repeatedly postponed, and is now scheduled to open in 2032.
Another idea is to set a variable fee that is higher during peak hours. But while Germany and Italy want Tyrol to abandon its restrictions first, Austria has demanded that the tariffs be implemented before it removes traffic restriction measures, Andergassen said.
Meanwhile, Tyrol, South Tyrol and the German region of Bavaria have agreed to a digital traffic management system, which will require trucks to reserve a place to cross the Brenner River. This is a potential “game changer,” Riedel said. However, such a scheme needs to have the support of national governments.
