The Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) between Austria and Italy and the Fixed Link across the Fehmarnbelt between Denmark and Germany are the two most important projects in the EU’s ScanMed Corridor between Helsinki in the North and Sicily in the South.
“Both projects are crucial for the successful development of the infrastructure in the all-important European North-South corridor,” agreed STRING Chairman Steen Bach Nielsen, the Governor of Tyrol, Günter Plattner and the Prefect for the Province of Bolzano/Bozen Florian Mussner.
In a joint statement at a briefing in Innsbruck on 6 – 7 February 2017, STRING and the Brenner Corridor Platform maintained that both transnational projects should therefore be granted maximum EU co-funding, including in the future funding period from 2020.
“Both projects promote sustainable and environmentally-friendly mobility that meets the most modern requirements. Moreover, because of their sheer magnitude, both projects will generate a plethora of technical innovations,” the three politicians point out.
During the North-South meeting, which also included a visit to the BBT construction site in Ahrental, the politicians agreed to continue the active exchange of experience and knowledge-sharing between the two projects.
The meeting was also attended by Leo Huberts as the EU Commission’s representative. Huberts is Advisor to the European Coordinator for the ScanMed Corridor, Pat Cox.
FACTS:
The 64 km long Brenner Base Tunnel, BBT, will be the world’s longest tunnel. It will extend from Innsbruck/Tulfes in Austria to Franzensfeste in South Tyrol in Italy. The EU is funding 50% of the planning and 40% of the construction costs. The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link is a planned 18 km combined road and rail tunnel under the Fehmarnbelt/Baltic Sea between Germany and Denmark. The link will be the world’s largest underwater tunnel for road and rail.
For the joint statement, click here
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