The Parliament approves to include the stretch between Zaragoza and Sagunto in the Corridor Cántabrico-Mediterranean

The Transport Committee of the european Parliament has approved this Wednesday by a large majority the inclusion of the line Zaragoza-Teruel-Sagunto in the Corridor Cantabrian-Mediterranean. The decision was eagerly awaited by the Governments of Valencia and Aragon, who seek to convert the connection that binds the two autonomies in priority to improve its layout and promote the flow of goods taking advantage of the presence of companies like Ford in Valencia and Opel in Zaragoza, and above all, to give a new impulse to the port of Valencia, the largest in the Mediterranean with five million containers per year. In case of being finally incorporated into the corridor, the infrastructure projects they will aspire to receive up to a 50% of eu funding.

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The improvement of the line is very present on the political agenda in both regions. Entities, associations, and parties is expressed makes a month and a half in Valencia to claim the investments in the rail Corridor Cantabrian-Mediterranean. And the Governments of the Community of Valencia and Aragon were in the last days, an intense lobbying work on the european authorities to give their approval to the plan. Both the president of valencia, Ximo Puig, as the aragonese, Javier Lambán, led eight delegations to Brussels to that end.

In the memory was the rejection of the European Commission in June to include the connection in the mechanism Connecting Europe, which includes 30.600 million for the transport sector in the period 2021-2027. That bucket of cold water has now been corrected by the Europarlamento, who has supported a text that includes the amendments tabled by the eurodiputadas socialist Inés Ayala (aragon), and Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero (valencia). The three major EU institutions, Commission, Council and Parliament, must still agree for it to be ratified, but the path seems clear: the commissioner of Transport, Violeta Bulc, has foreshadowed that Brussels will not put obstacles.

Rodríguez-Piñero, who had criticized the "isolation", to which the EU demoted to both regions has highlighted that parliamentarians aragonese and valencians of all the political formations have voted in favour. Ayala has held that the EU has rectified. "To Betgaranti get that stretch would put you in competition and cooperation the ports of Valencia, Barcelona and Bilbao with the dry ports of Madrid and Zaragoza," he noted. The europarlamentaria has highlighted that the frequency of trains could reach up to 100 per week "but for that you have to improve the sidings, electrification, and carry out a reduction of outstanding".

Platforms such as Teruel There is also were very aware of Brussels. The improvement of the line can reduce dramatically the transit of heavy trucks to travel the goods in the trains, and also help to combat the depopulation in the area. Next to the line Zaragoza-Teruel-Sagunto, the axis Madrid-Valencia has also been included in the trans-european transport network.

Politicians and businessmen celebrated the decision

MARIA JOSEP SERRA

the president of the Generalitat, the socialist Ximo Puig, has communicated the news of the inclusion, again, of the paths in the trans-european network, minutes after the commission of Transportation to support the claim of Spain. "It ends with an injustice that caused these two fundamental parts of our infrastructure were not as axes trans-european", has been highlighted during the control session in parliament. "This is a first step, but it is a strategic decision that improves the connectivity of the Valencian Community, both individuals and businesses," added Puig.

The territorial space that would represent 22% of the Spanish population, with 10 million inhabitants, 22% of the national GDP, with off 260,000 million euros; 22% of employment (4.2 million) and 30% of the industrial GDP, as well as the 25% of the total traffic of goods in ports and 28% of exports of goods, estimated at 75,000 million euros. "What the previous Government did not support, the civil society, the regional governments and the current Executive has achieved," he explained.

The news has surprised the president of the Valencia Chamber of Commerce, José Vicente Morata, in an act business of CaixaBank. "It is very good news, it is a very profitable decision because when you have a main port well connected to other infrastructures it is easier to attract investment and entrepreneurs to take decisions," said Morata.