Effects of EU Enlargement on Transport in Austria

Accelerated economic growth, which is envisaged to ensue through integrating CEECs in the European Union, will give a boost to tourist traffic from the accession candidates. Additional passenger traffic will derive from the free movement of labour, which will in particular intensify commuter traffic in the eastern border regions of Austria. Similarly, citizens from the potential member countries currently working in western EU countries will use Austria's network of roads for commuting on a weekly or monthly basis and during the main holiday periods. Through the operation of the internal market, international trade by the accession states with the EU will grow. Liberalisation of cross-border truck transport will produce a strong growth in the share of road transport. Bilateral transports to and from the five Eastern Central European candidate states would, under the current projection, quadruple by 2015, and transit traffic would rise fivefold.