Spain advances at two speeds in transport. It was as if the eastern half of the country, especially the Mediterranean Corridor, had taken the AVE and was advancing at a very high speed. Affiliated Spain. And it was as if, on the other side of the map, the western half, particularly the Northwest, continued to walk on a trantra on a Feve train at the same speed as it did a century ago. Spain was kicked out. The “lobby” created five years ago to promote logistics in the Northwest, despite the progress made, it has already lost some of its members and is in a kind of lethargy with the pandemic.That the businessmen of Asturias and Leon are now trying to save him.
It is true that the European Union (EU) has included the Northwest in the Atlantic Corridor (Lisbon-Strasbourg) and has recognized the extension of the Atlantic rail corridor from Palencia to Pola de Lena as the “basic network”. But it also leaves out what the Asturian business community considers vital: the rail connection with the ports of Avilés and El Musel, the highways and highways that cross Zalia and Asturias from north to south and east to west. Intended multimodality is thus constrained. Also, staying outside the Trans-European Transport Network’s priority axis means no access to major European subsidies for the sector.
The fight against the transportation isolation of the Northwest became a turning point in June 2017 when thirteen Galician, Asturian, Cantabrian and Leonese organizations created the so-called “Platform for the Development of Logistics in the Northwest”. The aim is to promote economic development and employment by promoting transport infrastructure and logistics services. To this end, it requested the Spanish Government and the European Commission to recognize the maritime dimension of the “Atlantic Corridor, so that together with the promotion of infrastructure and land services (road and above all rail),” improved ports and access to themintermodal platforms and port services that allow the development of sustainable and efficient intermodal chains”.
Little has been accomplished since then. Also, Platform lost troops: Cantabria immediately abandoned ship to throw herself into the arms of the Basque Country.Currently located within the main axis of the Atlantic Corridor, it is now focusing its efforts on promoting the Cantabrian-Mediterranean Corridor between Santander (formerly Bilbao) and Sagunto.
Galicia, for its part, has some doubts: there is intense debate over whether to prioritize connection with Castilla y Leon or whether efforts should be focused on improving the connection with Portugal. Finally, in Castilla y León, the center of political power is in Valladolid, through which the “main body” of the Atlantic Corridor runs. All this threatens to leave the businessmen of Asturias and León alone, who see how the central government’s promised investments for the Mediterranean region continue, some of what has been announced for the Northwest. “relegation”.
Political support is another limping leg in the Northwest. All the autonomous governments of the Mediterranean – Catalonia, the Community of Valencia, Murcia and Andalusia – show their open support to businessmen and the Corridor that supports them at every opportunity. The same is true of the Cantabrian-Mediterranean Corridor, which enjoys the open and strong support of the governments of Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja, Aragón and the Valencian Community. Just a few days ago, Zaragoza saw demands from Aragon presidents Javier Lambán and Valencian community Ximo Puig to demand the protection of businessmen of these regions and the central government to support the Cantabrian-Mediterranean Corridor. With the rubric included, there would be no doubt.
Meanwhile, political support in the Northwest was lukewarm at best. Neither the Government of Galicia, Asturias, nor Castilla y León categorically supported and set forth their employers’ demands beyond mere statements of intent.. And it is difficult to respond to the grievances of the business community: It is not understood that the “Unifying Europe” Mechanism follows regional cohesion and connects the most favored regions while excluding the Northwest at the same time. It is among the most isolated, disadvantaged, disconnected and depressed regions in Europe. Businessmen accuse the Spanish Government of disregarding the interests of the Northwest.
An aggravating circumstance is added to all of the above: Asturias is the main focus of rail transport in Spain. But the Government has excluded it from future rail highways, claiming it only includes “priority axes and those with the most potential”. Therefore, in fourth place in the ranking of rail port traffic in Spain, El Musel lags only behind Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao; and the seventh, Avilés. In addition, Asturias carries 10% of the goods arriving at Spanish ports by rail. And the Avilés-Sagunto route remains the leader in rail freight transport in Spain: ArcelorMittal transported 1,145,638 tons last year, representing around 20% of the national total. But the Principality Government did not say a word about the removal of Asturias from rail and sea routes, despite the request of the Federation of Asturian Entrepreneurs (FADE) to defend its regional interests before the Ministry and the State Ports. “to reverse a strategic decision that seriously harms the industrial and economic interests of the autonomous community”.
More complaints: The Ministry of Transport has left El Musel out of its call to distribute €20m in aid for road freight transport to put trucks on ships, as a more sustainable and less polluting alternative to the road. Preferred ports: Barcelona, Valencia, Sagunto, Bilbao, Santander and Vigo. El Musel is excluded, which, logically and according to transport experts, should be the “port of Madrid”.
Some experts associate the central government’s preference for the Mediterranean region with its greater political weight. The seven states of the Northwest (La Coruña, Lugo, Orense, Pontevedra, Asturias, León, and Zamora) add only 37 MPs to Congress (9 fewer than in 1979 due to the demographic collapse) and Castilla y León added the rest. 61. Incidentally, the eleven Mediterranean provinces (Gerona, Barcelona, Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia, Alicante, Murcia, Almería, Granada, Málaga and Cádiz), inland Catalonia, and Andalusia are included. A decent difference.