German minister to look at how to proceed after EU court rejects toll, Merkel says

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday her transport minister would look at how to proceed after the EU's top court rejected plans to introduce a German highway toll. Germany's transport minister Andreas Scheuer said the ruling implied the toll in its current form was off the table, but he had already put in place a task force to find alternative solutions.

The European Court of Justice earlier on Tuesday backed a challenge from Austria, which said Berlin's plan to put the economic burden of the toll on drivers from EU countries while giving German car owners a tax relief over the same amount, was discrimination. The ruling is a blow to Scheuer's Bavaria-based Christian Social Union (CSU), which had been the main backer of the toll. (Reporting by Madeline Chambers Writing by Tassilo Hummel Editing by Michelle Martin)