Northwest entrepreneurs call to increase European funding for Atlantic Corridor

Northwest businessmen signed The “Santiago de Compostela Statement”, in which they demand “a firm commitment from the government with the Northwest, its development, its citizens, and its business fabric”.. They emphasize that the environmental situation, the aging of the population and the fragile demographics of the Northwest, along with conditions such as “tax system or high bureaucratic burden” make it difficult to strengthen our economies and attract talent and investment. to be competitive”. that geographic location can become an advantage “with adequate transport infrastructures that allow us to be an intercontinental connecting node”. Inclusion of the Northwest in the EU’s priority transport axes “without further delay and as a level one target”. Fully integrating the Northwest into the Atlantic Corridor route and having their infrastructure form part of the core network in EU planning is the “baseline” for the Northwest to be able to compete and participate in European financing. More than 25,800 million Connect Europe Mechanisms (MECs) by 2030, the “ideal instrument” They point to the development of the Atlantic Corridor. However, in order to access this assistance, they consider it necessary for the Spanish Government to “develop and complete the planning work and submit projects to EU institutions for funding”. They recall that Spain’s Plan for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience is clearly committed to the development of the Atlantic and Mediterranean corridors and the improvement of logistics and intermodality, the digitization and sustainability of transport. “Next Generation EU Funds should support the development of transport infrastructure in the Atlantic Corridor.or in coordination with MEC funds,” they say.

Employers are asking the Government and the EU to “make a firm commitment to the cohesion and regional restructuring of the Northwest”.It is in an unfavorable starting position compared to other EU regions, which punishes the competitiveness of our companies in the single European and global market”. Promote necessary infrastructures that enable goods and passengers from the Northwest to move at reasonable and competitive times and European standards” and the development of the Atlantic Freight Corridor “without prejudice to others” and its inclusion in the “planning of European mechanisms that allow it to be financed and executed between now and 2030”.

Plus: They consider it necessary to have a Master Plan for the Atlantic Corridor and a master plan “as soon as possible” for a government commissioner. “For the regional structuring of the Northwest, to define as soon as possible infrastructures and routes without neglecting intermodality and in particular connectivity with ports, logistics nodes and airports”. It is another request to include the northwest on the map of railway roads in Spain, and in particular the “Mercancías 30” initiative. Employers stress that having competitive infrastructures will be “a key element” to ensure investors find opportunities and an ideal place for people to live and work.