WRITTEN QUESTION P-2527/00

by Luciano Caveri (ELDR) to the Commission

(25 July 2000)

Subject: Mont Blanc tunnel

The tunnel between Italy and France has been closed to traffic since 24 March 1999 because of a tragic fire inside the Mont Blanc tunnel which had fatal consequences.

According to the latest reports, March 2001 is the scheduled date for the completion of work necessary to reopen the tunnel at new safety standards, in order to prevent the repetition of accidents of such a serious nature.

This route, together with the planned completion of the motorway under construction on the Italian side of the mountain, is already included in the trans-European road transport network, and this underlines its importance for crossing the Alps.

With a view to the reopening of the tunnel, and on the basis of a wider debate on excessive road transport in the Alpine region which the tragic results of the Mont Blanc tunnel fire have made more heated, there are two schools of thought: the first aims at a total ban on TIR vehicles in the tunnel, and the second proposes a strict vehicle numbers quota.

In addition, on the initiative of the autonomous region of the Valle d'Aosta and the canton of Valais, the projected rail crossing between Aosta and Martigny with a rail route from Milan has been relaunched. Mention is also made of it in the annex to Italy's Financial Law for 2000. This route is not yet in the European priorities that have already been established.

Could the Commission therefore say whether the Aosta-Martigny rail crossing, with connecting rail routes, will be included in future documents on the trans-European rail transport network?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(12 September 2000)

According to the information in the Commission's possession there is indeed a project involving a new railway line between Aosta and Martigny.

This project does not relate to any of the links identified in the railway network maps set out in Decision No 1692/96 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network(1). As part of examining the suitability of revising those guidelines which the Commission is in the process of doing, it has emerged that it is for the moment not justified to add any new link as contained in this project.

Indeed, the national authorities have not made any request concerning any such addition. In addition, following agreement between the Community and the Swiss Confederation on the carriage of goods and passengers by rail and by road, those authorities must work in concert in order to produce the railway infrastructures in a coordinated manner. Including the new line to Switzerland in the trans-European network maps would thus require consultation of the Swiss authorities. However, the latter, too, have not expressed any interest themselves in this project.

If, however, a request were lodged by the national authorities and by the Swiss authorities via the joint committee set up under the abovementioned agreement, the Commission would examine that request with all due attention.

However, the Commission would again point out that decisions concerning the alpine infrastructure should be subjected to an overall analysis and that that analysis should take account of the existence, in the guidelines in force as regards the expansion of the trans-European network, of major railway projects already being investigated or worked upon, and more particularly the projects adopted by the Essen European Council, namely the Lyon-Torino route and the Verona-München link via the Brenner.

(1) OJ L 228, 9.9.1996.