Alpine Crossing Exchange

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The Alpine Crossing Exchange ( ACE ) is a in the European transport policy debated instrument for limiting transalpine road freight transport by auctioning and trading of transit rights.

background

The Alps are an area particularly burdened by transit traffic . The total alpine freight traffic amounted to 28 million tons in 1970, but in 1998 it was already 150 million tons. While rail freight transport has remained roughly the same, road freight transport has increased eightfold during this period. More than 6,300 trucks are counted daily on the Brenner alone (1998). Some important transit axes (such as Tauern , Brenner , Gotthard , Mont-Blanc or Fréjus ) suffer particularly from the high volume of truck traffic.

In narrow Alpine valleys (status around 2005), pollutant limit values ​​were regularly exceeded; The exhaust gases can lead to very high pollution due to the frequent inversion weather conditions in the alpine valleys, especially in winter. These valleys are exposed to high levels of nitrogen oxides , fine dust and lead , which were already measured in high concentrations in the breast milk of women living in the transit communities. In addition, the CO 2 emissions from the trucks alone are enormous. At the burner it is 26 tons per day. These pollutants have already assumed urban proportions.

Noise can echo off slopes near the road or “fill” a narrow valley. In the transit communities, more than two thirds of all residents are heavily or very severely exposed to noise. Austria introduced criteria for low-noise vehicles in 1989 ; since 1996, the associated limit values must also be complied with by all newly registered trucks in the European Union .

Another problem is the fragmentation and fragmentation of the natural habitat of the flora and fauna.

Many politicians in the Alpine countries are pursuing the goal of shifting some of the goods crossing the Alps onto the railways ( modal shift ). In Switzerland, this relocation policy is supported by several referendums (including the Alpine Initiative ). In Austria there are a number of active citizens' organizations (e.g. transit forum ) as well as various attempts by politicians to curb transit traffic. There are also active citizens' movements in other Alpine countries.

The Alpine Convention , an international treaty concluded in 1991, makes statements about the shift of truck traffic to rail. The convention was dominated by the environmental discussions of the 1980s (including the dying forest ) and the fall of the iron curtain ; z. B. Austria feared a strong increase in transit traffic to countries of the former Eastern Bloc. In the "Implementation Protocol on Transport", implementation using market-based instruments was required.

Goals and models

Alpine transit exchange is a collective term for different allocation procedures with which different (partly also contradicting) goals can be pursued.

Cap and Trade

According to the "cap and trade" principle ( " cap and trade"), the truck runs are to be treated over the Alps as a restricted good and limited in quantity. The quantitative limitation (“cap”) can either refer to the number of journeys or to the resulting emissions .

In a narrower sense, the Alpine Crossing Exchange stands for the model proposed by the Alpine Initiative Association in Switzerland , according to which a fixed number of passage rights are either distributed free of charge, sold at a fixed price or auctioned. After the initial allocation, they can be freely traded.

The system of emissions-controlled traffic through the Alps developed by Austrian scientists is also a “cap and trade” system. Instead of setting a quantity limit for trucks, however, a limit on the amount of emissions is proposed here. Instead of passage rights, emission certificates are to be traded. This in the sense of a successor regulation for the failed eco-points regulation. The legal starting point is investment law. Future technical advances would allow a further increase in the volume of traffic if emissions were limited (depending on the design of the system). The capacity and security problems of many transalpine transit routes would only be partially solved.

Slot management / reservation system

In the first Swiss study, a voluntary system with tradable reservation rights was examined in addition to the actual ATB based on the “cap and trade” model. This "slot management" would authorize passage in a certain time window (slot). The goals are a better use of the scarce road capacities, the reduction of traffic jams and waiting times as well as incentives for better planning and logistics. Vehicles without a reservation have to wait longer. However, slot management (see also time slot management ) would not lead to any quantity limitation.

Various traffic management systems (Traffic Management)

Other models try to use road capacity as efficiently as possible through incentives (e.g. flexible toll levels according to time of day).

The Alpine Crossing Exchange as an instrument of Alpine protection policy

In Switzerland, the idea of ​​an Alpine transit exchange was brought into play by the Alpine Initiative Association. Since 2004, the project has also been promoted by the responsible Swiss federal department , because the implementation of the current relocation target anchored in the constitution (a maximum of 650,000 truck journeys across the Alps per year) and an economically self-sustaining operation of the NEAT seem hardly feasible without additional measures.

A summary feasibility study carried out in 2004 and an in-depth study completed in 2007 came to the conclusion that an ATB is basically possible and compatible with the applicable legal regulations. However, both reports also point out various unresolved issues relating to the specific design.

Due to the applicable contractual regulation , Switzerland can only adopt such a measure in agreement with the EU. An attempt was therefore made to introduce an ATB across the Alps. In principle, the revised European road cost directive seems to open up a certain amount of leeway for the introduction of an ATB. Initial reactions from the EU side signaled cautious interest, but at the same time reaffirmed the non-negotiable principles of the free flow of traffic, the free choice of means of transport, the ban on allotment and discrimination.

In Switzerland, the Federal Council applied for the necessary legal basis for the introduction of an ATB to be incorporated into the successor regulation for the relocation law, which is about to expire . The request was rejected in parliament on the grounds that the instrument was not yet ready for practical use. A continuation of the ongoing investigations was welcomed, but warnings were also given against making the success of the relocation policy unilaterally dependent on the completion of an ATB.

In Austria, the ATB initially demanded by the Greens found its way into the government program of the SPÖ / ÖVP coalition from January 2007.

From 2013 at the latest, it became clear that the responsible EU bodies could hardly be won over for an Alpine transit exchange in the foreseeable future. For example, the Swiss Federal Council reported in 2019: "With the 2013 relocation report, the Federal Council had for the first time established that the Alpine Crossing Exchange or limiting heavy goods vehicle management instruments represent a clear contradiction to the principles of the Land Transport Agreement from the point of view of the EU. Thus, the introduction of an Alpine Crossing Exchange is based on this or another limiting heavy goods vehicle management instrument with no chance in the short and medium term. The EU refused to enter into negotiations and referred to the work in the Zurich process. (...) Against this background, from the perspective of the Federal Council, it can be stated that in In view of the short- and medium-term perspective for Switzerland in this context, the implementation of a limiting heavy goods vehicle management instrument, such as an Alpine transit exchange, is still unrealistic.These efforts will only come together gradually and at best in a long-term perspective Have m implemented with the other Alpine countries. On the other hand, the considerations on Alpine-specific cost factors, which could be integrated into existing tax systems, have at least found their way into the political discussion at European level. "

Criticism, open questions (Swiss model)

The Swiss Commercial Vehicle Association ASTAG sees the introduction of an ATB as a “relapse into the planned economy ” and has doubts in general about the feasibility of this instrument.

On the basis of the aforementioned reports from 2004 and 2007, the following open questions should mainly be pointed out:

  • Determination of the “cap”: While the scientific basis for the determination of permissible emission quantities is being worked out in Austria, the number of journeys would have to be politically negotiated according to the Swiss system (or already given with the shift target of 650,000 journeys per year). Since this value is below demand, such a cap (due to the interplay of supply and demand in the free trade with transit rights) would result in a significant increase in the price of road transport, which would also correspond to the declared intention of the protagonists. However, it remains completely open whether the EU would agree to such an increase in prices. It could impede the free flow of traffic, disregard the ban on quotas and exceed the "bilaterally" negotiated upper limits for transit fees .
  • Special regulation for local and short-haul traffic: Should the ATB lead to an increase in the cost of road transport, this would have a disproportionately strong impact on production and living costs in areas near Alpine crossings. Special regulations are required to compensate for this effect. However, it has so far not been possible to explain how these should be designed specifically without creating new inequalities. From an EU perspective, this could constitute a violation of the ban on discrimination.

Additional expansion of rail services as an accompanying measure

The quota and increase in the price of road transport could be offset by creating additional new rail services in addition to the planned expansion of rail freight transport. The 2007 report specifically suggests an additional expansion of the RoLa offer by creating new hourly connections Basel – Domodossola and Basel – Chiasso, each with around 300,000 to 430,000 parking spaces per year. This means that around 650,000 annual truck journeys can also be shifted to rail. The prerequisite for this, however, would be the creation of corresponding additional route and terminal capacities. In addition, the price pressure on the railways would increase again due to the overall larger offer.

Internet portal prototype

In 2008 Gert Dorn developed a free online portal under Alpentransitboerse.eu and Alp-Transit-Cargo (ATC.ch) as a prototype for the prior recording of freight and vehicles in cross-border traffic, similar to a freight exchange. The required passage rights for transit countries can be reserved and traded via the portal.

Alp-Transit-Cargo takes the approach that - regardless of future political decisions - it is already mandatory to record truck transit traffic at the place of origin (at the shipper or forwarder). This means that even in this phase, it would be possible to shift to rail or optimize freight to existing empty runs. The real data and knowledge gained in this way would make it easier for the railway companies and operators of the RoLa to expand the necessary capacities and to increase the utilization of the moving freight trains and RoLa from today's 75% to 90%.

Attempts are currently being made to persuade the members and networks of “RailNetEurope” to publish the booked train paths and the timetables (start and destination stations) of the planned rail transport via Alpentransitboerse.eu so that freight forwarders and shippers have direct access to this information.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heinz Veit: The Alps - Geoecology and Landscape Development, Stuttgart 2002, p. 227
  2. ↑ Heinz Veit: The Alps - Geoecology and Landscape Development, Stuttgart 2002, p. 229
  3. ↑ Redevelopment areas Tyrol ( Memento from December 15, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  4. ↑ Heinz Veit: The Alps - Geoecology and Landscape Development, Stuttgart 2002, p. 229
  5. ↑ Heinz Veit: The Alps - Geoecology and Landscape Development, Stuttgart 2002, p. 229
  6. ^ Association pour le respect du site du mont Blanc in the French language Wikipedia - ARSMB, a citizens' movement on Mont Blanc
  7. ^ Protocol traffic of the Alpine Convention ( Memento of September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 58 kB)
  8. ↑ ATB DETEC fact sheet May 2007 (PDF; 108 kB)
  9. ^ Austrian Academy of Sciences / short version AlpEmiv
  10. ↑ P. Jordan: Transitbörse ( Memento from October 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  11. ↑ ATB DETEC fact sheet February 2006 ATB ( memo of February 22, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ↑ a b Alpine Crossing Exchange Study 2004: Assessment of the feasibility (PDF)
  13. ↑ a b c Alpine Crossing Exchange Study 2007: Investigation of the practical suitability ( Memento of November 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  14. ↑ EU shows interest in Alpine Crossing Exchange . NZZ Online , October 22, 2007:
  15. ↑ parliament.ch
  16. ^ Government program, p.66
  17. ↑ Relocation report 2019 (PDF)
  18. ↑ La borsa dei transiti alpini è praticabile (PDF)