Parliament overcomes key obstacle in transport accord with EU

The Swiss parliament overcame the last major obstacle in a transport agreement with the European Union on Tuesday when both chambers agreed on how much money the government would pay to boost freight haulage by train.

The Swiss parliament overcame the last major obstacle in a transport agreement with the European Union on Tuesday when both chambers agreed on how much money the government would pay to boost freight haulage by train.

The agreement seems to have eased the threat of a referendum by environmentalists on the bilateral accords, which include agreements on rail and road traffic, economic and technological cooperation and the free movement of people between the 15-nation EU and Switzerland.

After months of debate, both chambers agreed that, once the Swiss-EU transport agreement takes effect, the Swiss government will pay SFr2.85 billion ($1.9 billion) to subsidise the transfer of freight haulage from road to rail.

The amount of government subsidies had been a point of heated debate in parliament, where pro-environment parties had originally called for SFr3.3 billion ($2.2 billion).

The compromise was reached after it was agreed that government subsidies could be increased should the pro-environment tasks of shifting more traffic onto the railways be in danger.

As part of the bilateral accords with the EU, Switzerland has to drop its 28-ton weight limit on trucks, thus allowing the way for EU 40-ton vehicles to cross Switzerland on the important transalpine trade route.

At the same time, the Swiss government is obliged by the terms of the Alpine Initiative vote in1994 to get transalpine road traffic onto the railways by 2005.

While the precise modalities of how to implement such a transfer are still unclear, Switzerland is building two new transalpine rail tunnels at the Lötschberg and the Gotthard.
The bilateral accords still have to be ratified by Switzerland and all EU nations. Right-wing groups in Switzerland, concerned by what they see as a threat to Swiss sovereignty and too many foreigners in the country, have repeatedly stated they will collect signatures to force a vote on the accords.

From staff and wire reports.