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EU court suspends Austria's Tyrol truck ban

BRUSSELS, July 30 (Reuters) - The European Union's top court suspended an Austrian law restricting the transit of trucks through its pristine Tyrol region, a European Commission spokesman said on Wednesday.

The Commission, the European Union executive, had asked the European Court of Justice to examine the legality of the Austrian truck transit regime amid concerns it could breach EU treaty laws on the free movement of goods.

The truck ban had been supposed to take effect on Friday.

"This morning the president of the court decided to suspend provisionally the application of an Austrian decree banning traffic on the A12 in the Tyrol," Commission spokesman Gilles Gantelet told a daily news briefing.

"The president... without judging the substance, considered that at least there was risk of damage to road transport, and principally German and Italian road hauliers."

Austria wanted to prevent non-domestic trucks of more than 7.5 tonnes from using certain stretches of the Alpine Brenner pass, which is a vital road link between Austria and Italy.

The Italian road haulage lobby has been particularly vocal in its criticism of Austrian transport policy. Italy, holder of the rotating EU presidency, has made the free circulation of goods its number one transport priority for the next six months.