The Brenner dispute: Can Europe protect the environment without slowing trade?

As one of Europe’s busiest Alpine freight corridors, the Brenner Pass is a key link in the European Union’s single market, supporting the movement of food, medicines, machinery and industrial goods across the continent.

The dispute has reached the Court of Justice of the European Union, where an Advocate General recently concluded that several of Austria’s measures are incompatible with EU law because they disproportionately restrict the free movement of goods.

Whatever the European Court of Justice ultimately decides, its ruling is likely to influence transport and environmental policy across the European Union.