The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) has financially supported the Brenner Base Tunnel project from its earliest stages through the TEN-T and CEF-Transport programmes, for a total of EUR 2.3 billion over 15 years.
Paloma Aba Garrote, Director of CINEA and our guest at the launching ceremony of the two TBMs, Wilma and Olga, on 18 September, confirmed that the BBT is an absolutely fundamental project for Europe. And in further remarks, she said: “Certainly when we talk about the BBT, in terms of Europe, we are talking about funding. But there is much more to this project. It is an example, every day, of how large infrastructures can be built sustainably and in harmony with the environment. The completion of the Brenner Base Tunnel is our gift to the next generation of European citizens and our contribution to improving their quality of life'.
After all, the reach of the Brenner Base Tunnel is not limited to the Fortezza-Innsbruck section; it fits right into the plans for mobility development in Europe. This is why we asked Philippe Chantraine, representing the European Commission's Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), what the priorities are for mobility and transport policies over the next five years. "The next European Commission has a clear mission: to make transport more sustainable and more competitive. The Brenner Base Tunnel will contribute decisively to this mission'.
Wilma and Olga, on 18 September, started off northwards. Best of luck to all the people involved, and especially to the workers, the true guardian angels of the two ‘giants in the mountains’, who will be excavating a 7.5-km stretch in the direction of Innsbruck. It will be a long and challenging journey, but the path is clearly marked: we are making a decisive contribution to the future of European mobility. Glück auf!
