Minister Defends Truck Transit Agreement with Austria, Truckers Defiant

Ljubljana, 5 January - Transport Minister Jakob Presecnik has defended his decision to seek an agreement with Austria on transit permits for Slovenian truckers. If the Slovenian government had not resorted to the contingency plan, Slovenian truckers would have found themselves stuck on the border with Austria as of the New Year, Presecnik claimed at Monday's press conference. However, an official of the leading Slovenian transport association remained defiant today, reiterating that lorries would block the border with Austria next week if Slovenian truckers did not get fair treatment.