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No free ride from Italy to Germany

Jul 28, 2016 / alpMedia
The European Union does not want to finance the Alemagna motorway: but the Italian Veneto Region is insisting on the road link to Germany.
Image caption:
A motorway generates traffic: the losers are the Alpine valleys. (c) dvdbrammhall

Last week the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development (REGI) said no to the financing of the development of the Alemagna motorway. The European Union has thus come out in support of the Transport Protocol to the Alpine Convention. Only Italian MEPs from the Veneto Region have endorsed the project.

The idea for the Alemagna was proposed 60 years ago with the submission of the so-called Miozzi plan, which foresaw an additional high-capacity connecting route to run through Austria to link Venice in Italy with Munich in Germany. Development on the Italian side proceeded in places, thus resulting in traffic overflowing into the neighbouring countries to the north.

Peter Hasslacher of CIPRA Austria warns that further development would increase the strain on South Tyrol and the Austrian Puster and Drava Valleys. The Alps do not need yet more traffic-related stress: instead the proposed rail line from Toblach towards Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy should be built.

Environmental associations and the authorities in South Tyrol, Germany and Austria also all reject the Alemagna. But until the traffic burden on the Alps is reduced and shifted onto rail, many more cars and trucks will continue driving through and over them.

Source and further information: www.mountainwilderness.it/news/displaynews.php?idnews=483  (it)

 

Filed under: alpMedia 06/2016