Brussels, 24/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - In a press release, the European Commissioner for Transport, Loyola de Palacio, welcomed the reopening of the Mont-Blanc Tunnel announced for the end of the year. "The Mont-Blanc Tunnel is a fundamental element of the European liaison system. the closure of the Tunnel, which has lasted two years now, has had important repercussions on the whole transport structure in Europe", the Commissioner commented following declarations by the Italian Minister, Neriso Nesi, for whom the reopening of the Tunnel in September would be "reasonable".
Ms. de Palacio also hoped that the Italian and French authorities would rapidly focus on launching a rail tunnel project on the Lyon-Turin line, "that would allow for a reduction in the traffic in this fragile area". France and Italy should provide details of their financial commitment at the Franco-Italian Summit in Turin on Friday. The cost of the construction of a 50 km tunnel through the Alps is estimated at 60 or 70 billion francs, or some 9 to 10 billion euro.