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Italy, Austria agree to avoid Brenner Pass closure after talks in Rome

Xinhua, April 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

Italy and Austria agreed on common terms in order to avoid closure of the Brenner Pass border, Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said Thursday.

"A crisis and the closure of the Brenner Pass has so far been avoided," Alfano told a press conference after meeting with his Austrian counterpart Wolfang Sobotka here.

"This is not definitive: we have to work on it, and it would depend on us (Italy) to make Austria not ordering the closure, and on Austria to be reasonable on the issue," said Alfano. "Blocking the Brenner Pass would bring a huge damage to Italian and Austrian tourism flows, import-export exchanges, and transit of workers."

Relations between Italy and Austria have been strained after Vienna said the Brenner Pass would be reinforced to avoid refugees and migrants making their way to central and northern Europe, and a 370-meter-long fence might be built in case of emergency.

The Brenner Crossing is a crucial mountain pass between Italy and Austria, and Italy complained with the European Union (EU) the plan would breach European rules on the free circulation of people within the Schengen area.

On Thursday, the Austrian Interior Minister said no fence would be built. "There will be no wall or barriers, as it has been mistakenly reported," Sobotka told reporters.

"If necessary, there will be controls," he added.

Austria had also asked Italy to allow Austrian police on board of Italian trains heading towards the Brenner Pass in order to check on travellers' identity documents while the convoys were still on Italian soil.

The request was refused, Alfano said Thursday.

"We will reinforce our police patrols on railways and highways leading to the Brenner Pass, but we are against (letting) Austrian police's patrolling on our trains and in our territory," he said.

Italy and Austria had signed a police cooperation agreement in 2014, and would now increase contacts between their respective border police on a daily basis, Alfano said.

Also on Thursday, the European Commission expressed concerns over the possible closure of the Brenner Pass, and the increasing tension between the two countries.

"The European Commission is following all the developments in Europe that go against a return to the usual functioning of the Schengen treaty, and in this (Brenner Pass) case with serious concern," EU commission spokesperson Mina Andreeva said. Endit