Brussels, 25/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 24 February, Matteo Renzi and François Hollande confirmed that construction of the Lyon-Turin TGV line would begin next year. The leaders are counting on the EU to finance 40% of this project, which opponents have denounced as similar to the “madness of the Pharaohs”. This line is also being examined by the European Antifraud Office (OLAF).
The Franco-Italian summit in Paris allowed the two governments to reaffirm their support for the Lyon-Turin link. The two countries' respective leaders signed an amendment to the 2001 contract committing them to beginning work in 2016, despite criticism, particularly from environmentalists (see EUROPE 11260). Criticism mainly focuses on the costs of construction, the estimates of which have continually risen. Construction of the railway link, including the 57 km tunnel through the Alps, is expected to cost €8.5 billion.
40% of this amount could be taken care of under European funding arrangements such as the Connecting Europe Facility. The project has already been recognised as a priority and could therefore lay claim to the highest rate of co-financing. The Franco-Italian dossier is expected to be submitted to the European Commission on 26 February, the date limit for submitting applications in the first call for projects opened during the current EU financial programming period. Distributing the remaining costs between Italy and France has been set at 57% and 43% respectively in a treaty but differences of interpretation may arise, particularly among the French.
It is hoped that the project will help reduce bottlenecks and complete the European border level infrastructure network, objectives that are currently being pursued by the EU. Environmentalists, however, denounce the modal forecast overestimates for the shift to rail. One last piece of the building is also very unstable, given that OLAF agreed at the beginning of the month to open an investigation into the project, at the behest of MEPs in the Greens group (see EUROPE 11248). (translation from the original French version)