Barcelona, Spain (PortSEurope) June 7, 2017 – At the opening of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) event in Barcelona, Catalan Minister for Territory and Sustainability, Josep Rull, said the Mediterranean Railway Corridor, a long-awaited infrastructure which is set to connect the ports along the Mediterranean coast and through Europe, continues to be one of the Catalan Government priorities for Spanish Government investment.
He added that he was surprised that the Mediterranean ports’ demand to build the Corridor “has more allies in northern ports of Europe” than “within the Spanish State”.
“Our priority is to see the Corridor completed,” said Rull, in the presence of Port de Barcelona’s President, Sixte Cambra, the representative of Spanish Ports, José Llorca, and Deputy Director General of DG MOVE of the European Commission, Matthew Baldwin.
He claimed that despite being essential not only for the Spanish economy but for all of Europe, its construction has been repeatedly delayed. In addition, the delays in the construction of the Corridor are affecting private investment; pending business investments are worth €300 million ($337.75 million), €20 million ($22.52 million) of which corresponds to an investment from the German multinational BASF AG, which announced it will expand one of its plants in Tarragona.
“The Spanish government is highly committed to developing the transportation system, comprising the core European network,” said Llorca. Moreover, he said that investing in the Mediterranean Railway Corridor was “particularly” important and considered it an “essential endeavor” in order to “enhance the competitiveness of Southern Europe”.
All of the speakers at the opening session of the ESPO annual conference remarked on the importance of Barcelona’s port not only for the Mediterranean coast but for the whole of the European network. Indeed, it is the top-ranked port in Spain in generating resources and the third in traffic but it is has particularly outstanding numbers with respect to cruiseships; it is Europe’s first and the world’s fourth ranked port in cruise passengers.
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