France is ignoring pressure from the Spanish and Portuguese governments, as well as communities such as Galicia or the Basque Country, and continues its plan to complete the connection with the Atlantic freight rail corridor. In 2042, not in 2030Let the north and west not lose their competitiveness in the Mediterranean, whose connection will be ready in seven years, as the Iberian Peninsula demands.
The Atlantic Corridor is kind of like a railroad highway to move goods faster and empty the roads of trucks. It is a priority route to the Northwest because it guarantees faster exit for their goods to France and then to the rest of Europe.
Galicia, Asturias and Castilla y León joined forces despite their different abbreviations To pressure the Spanish government to step up work that receives preferential funding from the European Union. Once this was accomplished, they faced France, which not only denied in principle that it could finish the connection work for that line by 2030, but set the completion date twelve years later, but now ignored the pressures coming in.
And the European Union slapped the Macron Executive on the wrist for parking the Atlantic Corridor, a project that is part of the EU’s trans-European transport network and should be completed by 2030. “The European Commission is sorry to see this delay. [a 2042]. Community sources told Europa Press last month that France should prioritize cross-border divisions, something not foreseen in the report. Brussels also warned that “rehabilitating” the existing line offered by Paris is completely insufficient to meet future service demand.
Spain and Portugal’s strategy to avoid this delay does not seem to bear fruit. At the summit held last month, the two countries decided to send a joint letter to Brussels to increase the pressure on France.
Jean-Michel Casa, the French Ambassador in Spain, assured yesterday in an interview with Europa Press that his country will not change the date of 2042 as the time horizon to complete the connection with the Atlantic Corridor, according to a document published by the European Union. Council Orientation of Infrastructures. He also ironically demonstrates the impact of pressure from Spain and Portugal, proving the Gauls’ priority on the Mediterranean Corridor, which will be completed in 2030, on the other side of the Pyrenees.
“Force Brussels, right? Let them press.” if they get European Commission Of course I financed everything. It also depends on European funds. It is a paradox that Spain and Portugal, who could never make the high-speed train between Madrid and Lisbon, explained to us that we should put pressure on France.” In fact, after the Franco-Spain summit in January, he once again denied that an agreement on the Atlantic Corridor had been reached. limited.
“Obviously, 2030 has never been talked about on our side regarding the Atlantic Corridor. At the Barcelona summit, there was talk of the 2030 horizon, but only for the Mediterranean Corridor”amount.
For Galicia, the first corridor is a vital link to its economy, as Xunta president Alfonso Rueda wanted to convey to Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at a meeting at the end of March. The leader was finally suspended from the community. In addition, Rueda herself had an appointment with the French ambassador and expressed her concern at the delays in these affairs.
House talked about it. “The president of Xunta de Galicia has now allied with the Basque Country to say that France must be put under pressure for the Atlantic axis. As far as I know, there is no high-speed train planned between Ourense and the Basque ‘Y’ and it is not in the plans. So it’s nice to put pressure on France, but we have to start talking in Spain about how to build a line from Ourense to León and from León to Vitoria,” he snapped.
Galicia, Asturias, Castilla y León and even the Basque Country will find themselves in an inferior position compared to the Mediterranean, which could place their products in Europe faster, thanks to the fact that France will complete the corridor in this region in 2018. 2030, twelve years before the Atlantic.
Lehendakari himself also announced his intention to address Íñigo Urkullu, the French ambassador and the European Commissioner for Transport, to request support for the Atlantic Corridor.