Brussels, 18/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 16 May the European Commission decided to authorise a fifteen year extension to the Mount Blanc tunnel concession, held by the Società Italiana del Traforo del Monte Bianco (SITMB) company. This decision can be explained by the high cost of safety improvements incurred by the concessionaire companies following the accident in the Mont Blanc Tunnel in 1999. The cost of the work has had serious financial repercussions and threatens the viability of the company. In this context, the Commission is authorising the extension of the concession till 2050, as proposed by Italy and as it had done in February for the French concessionary company Autoroutes et Tunnel du Mont Blanc (ATMB) on the French side. The Commission considers that the operation of a concession such as this constitutes a service of general economic interest and that the extension of the concession operating period meets the conditions laid down in the Commission Decision of 28 November 2006 on the application of Article 86 of Treaty in the form of public service compensation granted to certain undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest.