No smooth passage

 
Published: Saturday 30 November 2002

Blocking the border (Credit: Reuters)Vehicles moving along the main routes between Germany and Italy came to a grinding halt as environmentalists blockaded the Austrian border for many hours together. The greens were protesting against the increasing Trans-Alpine traffic. They targeted five locations on the main motorways that connect Germany in the north with Italy in the south forcing drivers to reroute.

The protest was in support of the country's efforts to keep in place a cap on freight traffic going through ecosensitive areas, especially after the European Union (eu) increases trade with new member states along Austria's eastern border.

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