20/12/2002 (Agence Europe) - MEPs Giorgio Lisi (EPP, Italy), Monica Frassoni (Greens, Belgium), Astrid Lulling (EPP, Luxembourg), and Marie Anne Isler Béguin (Greens, France) protest against the abolition of the Brussels-Milan-Brussels night train from 15 December 2002. In a letter to the European Transport Commissioner, Loyola de Palacio, they express criticism of this unilateral decision taken by the "Société nationale des chemins de fer belges" (SNCB), motivated by purely economic reasons contrary to the strategy for promoting rail transport in the EU, a press release explains. Furthermore, the line serves three EU capitals (Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg) and therefore represents an "irreplaceable opportunity for the way the institutions operate". MEPs call on the Commissioner to approach the Belgian, French and Italian authorities to ensure the line is re-established.