EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 84/151

(2004/C 84 E/0189)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0020/04

by Fiorella Ghilardotti (PSE), Massimo Carraro (PSE) and Giovanni Fava (PSE) to the Commission

(20 January 2004)

Subject: Bridge over the Straits of Messina

In an interview that appeared in Il sole 24 ore on 17 December 2003 the Italian Minister for Infrastructure Pietro Lunardi revealed that European Commissioner Loyola de Palacio had said that the Commission was prepared to fund the construction of a bridge over the Straits of Messina.

If this report is correct, is the European Commission sure that such a bridge would satisfy all the necessary requirements to be eligible for Community funding?

In particular, does the Commission not think that it would be more viable, not least in economic and environmental terms, to support an alternative solution to a bridge over the Straits such as a marine highway linking Sicily with the mainland?

Does the European Commission not consider that, contrary to the statements made by the Berlusconi government, this project is too costly to attract private investors and would ultimately impose a severe burden on the Italian treasury?

Does the Commission not consider that Straits of Messina bridge should be seen as a private project of trans-European interest as defined by the relevant Commission proposal and the Van Miert report?

Finally, has the Commission received the requisite guarantees from the Italian government as to the environmental sustainability of the project?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 2004)

The Messina Strait Bridge project is among the 29 priority projects identified in the Commission's proposal to revise the Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) (1). The inclusion of this project in the priority list, as part of project No 1 ‘the Mixed Rail axis Berlin-Verona/Milan-Bologna-Naples-Messina-Palermo’, follows the recommendation of the High Level Group chaired by Mr Van Miert. However, implementation of the project is under Italian responsibility.

Under the 2000-2006 Structural Fund programming, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is due to co-finance the Rome-Naples-Salerno high-speed rail link, the technological modernisation of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria and Messina-Palermo links and the doubling of the track between Messina and Palermo. As yet, the Italian authorities have not requested any financing to build the high-speed line on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria and Messina-Palermo links.

Motorways of the Sea are a new concept designed to support the development of trans-national maritime links between Member States. In that sense, they cannot be seen as an alternative to the Messina Strait Bridge, which may provide the infrastructure for further distribution of rail and road flows between Italy and Sicily.

Private funding could provide a partial answer to the project's financial requirements. However, the Commission is not yet in a position to assess the level of public funding required.

The Commission would underline that the Messina Strait bridge represents not a private initiative but an important connection between the mainland and the largest and most populated island in the Mediterranean.

Once the Commission's proposal has been approved by the Council and Parliament, any request from the Italian Government concerning funding for the construction of the Messina Strait bridge from the trans-European transport network budget will require an in-depth appraisal by the Commission, particularly with regard to the environmental protection provisions of Article 8 of the TEN-T Guidelines and other criteria, such as economic viability, specified in Council Regulation (EC) No 2236/95 of 18 September 1995 (2) on the granting of financial aid to the TENs.

The project for a bridge over the Strait of Messina is covered by the provisions of Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 (3) as amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (4). In addition, an appropriate assessment from the point of view of nature conservation will also have to be carried out, in accordance with the provisions of Article 6 of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (5). This assessment can be performed within the framework of the environmental impact assessment mentioned above or as a separate assessment.

The Commission has registered a complaint on the application of the abovementioned Directives to this specific project, which will be examined carefully to ensure that the relevant Community law has been observed.

(1) COM(2003) 564.

(2) OJ L 228, 23.9.1995.

(3) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.

(4) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.

(5) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.