After Italy’s decision to take legal action against Austria before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over Tyrol’s anti-transit measures, Governor Anton Mattle (ÖVP) is undertaking a diplomatic offensive in Rome at the beginning of next week. Mattle would meet “constructive forces in matters of transit” and create understanding for the Tyrolean position, it was told in advance to the APA news agency.
However, there will be no conversation with Transport Minister Matteo Salvini (Lega), who has mobilized massively against Austrian and Tyrolean transit policy in recent months and pushed forward the lawsuit. Appointment requests in this regard have “fizzled out”. Although Salvini appears with freighters at the Brenner Pass, he is apparently afraid of interacting with the Tyrolean population and with himself, Mattle expressed clear criticism.
Last Monday, the Council of Ministers in Rome had already announced the lawsuit several times. It was a “difficult but compelling decision given the attitude of the EU Commission and the impossibility of reaching a negotiated solution,” said Transport Minister Matteo Salvini after the meeting.
Tyrol wants to stick to the transit “emergency measures”.
The Tyrolean state governor announced that he would meet “possible supporters, opinion leaders and politicians who are interested in a common solution to the transit problem”. According to APA information, there will at least be a meeting with Government State Secretary Alfredo Mantovano, a close colleague of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. According to the Mattle office, the meeting was not yet completely secured.
In any case, the governor made it clear that he would be in Rome to “talk about the excessive burden on Tyroleans and to demand solutions.” At the same time, he emphasized that he wanted to promote the “slot system” with bookable truck trips that had been agreed with Bavaria and South Tyrol and that he wanted to counteract the southern neighbor’s attempt to “isolate Austria and Tyrol and portray them as destructive” in Brussels. In any case, the Tyrolean transit “emergency measures” will continue to be adhered to, it was said once again.
The actual reason for Mattle’s trip to Rome is the traditional reception in the run-up to the Austrian national holiday on October 26th, which is being held by the Austrian embassy in the Italian capital.
This article is originally published on .rainews.it
