“The news according to which the South is outside the European high-speed plan is false and risks fueling useless alarmism based on superficial interpretations of popular materials”. This was stated by Giusi Princi, Calabrian MEP from Forza Italia and the European People’s Party (EPP), speaking to clarify the controversy following the publication of the European Commission’s new plan for the development of high-speed rail.
“It is necessary to reiterate – explains Giusi Princi – that Calabria is an integral part of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) and of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor, the strategic axis that connects northern Europe to Sicily crossing Italy. The infographic circulated in recent days is a schematic representation of the connections between the European capitals only and does not accurately reflect the overall structure of the network or its territorial branches. However, the figure is different technique, also attached to the official documents of the Commission, which precisely shows the entire network, including the southern sections and the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic ridges, Calabria is clearly included in the high-speed corridors”.
“Furthermore, the Commission, in its document – continues the Hon. Princi – defines the progressive completion of the high-speed network by 2040, also including the southern sections. Calabria, located in the terminal section of the Mediterranean corridor, in fact represents an indispensable segment for the entire network: as the Commission text itself explicitly recognises, any incomplete or inadequate section would compromise the efficiency of the system as a whole. It follows, therefore, the need to complete and strengthen also the Calabrian routes, which are at the center of the plan”.
The European Commission has encouraged Member States to use Cohesion Policy to support the development of high-speed rail in their territories. “Calabria, as a region receiving Cohesion Policy funds – states the MEP – benefits from these resources for the modernization of the Tyrrhenian line and for the improvement of connections with the Adriatic backbone and Sicily, in line with the European strategy of territorial rebalancing”.
The Commission’s plan also attributes a logistical and strategic value to the TEN-T network, including freight transport and military mobility. “In this context – highlights Princi – the position of Calabria, a natural gateway to the Mediterranean, confirms the centrality of the region as a strategic node for civil, military mobility and goods traffic, of which the port of Gioia Tauro represents a key hub”.
“I therefore hope – adds the Calabrian MEP – a debate based on technical data and not on simplified or instrumental representations. Southern Italy, and Calabria in particular – he concludes – are not marginal at all: they are an integral and strategic part of European mobility”.