Brussels, 13/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - The project for the construction of a pipeline for the transportation of propylene will be the subject of a Communication on the Official Journal in order to gather opinions from the member states and third parties concerned. The project foresees the construction of a pipeline from Rotterdam to Cologne and the German Ruhr region, passing by Antwerp, Tessenderloo and Geelen. The total cost of the project is some EUR 200 million of which 27 million will be financed by Germany (EUR 18.7 million), the Netherlands (4 million) and Belgium (3.7 million). The beneficiaries of this aid will be the European pipeline company, a consortium of chemical companies. The three member states noted that the transportation of propylene through the pipeline would substantially reduce the emissions produced by road and rail transport. The project would also improve the safety of transport for these substances and would allow for a decrease in traffic jams. Moreover, it would be of strategic importance for the viability of the industry for the production and processing of propylene in the Belgian, German and Dutch regions. At this stage the Commission feels that the aids to support this project, which is not aimed at financing a public transport infrastructure, but a project supported by a consortium, could contain elements of state aid. The European executive will examine the arguments of the three member states and await the opinions of third parties before making a final decision.