Common front for France to speed up the repair of the Somport

“We are worried but also busy,” said the Aragonese president, Jorge Azcón, on Friday, in summing up the situation regarding the Somport border crossing, which has been closed for two weeks due to the effects of the storm. The leader of the DGA has put the ball in the court of the Ministry of Transport of the French Government and has assured that the rest of the actors, on both sides of the border, are “on the same side” to speed up the work. More specifically, the regional government itself, Moncloa and the Delegation, the mayors, the Provincial Council of Huesca and the local authorities of New Aquitaine, who have also made a move.

The head of the Executive said that it was a matter of conveying the “ urgency ” of the works and the “ serious problem ” that the cut represents for Aragon. This was the same thing that he conveyed on Thursday to the head of Transport of the Central Government, Óscar Puente, in a telephone conversation reported on by Pignatelli’s official channels. In turn, Puente showed his willingness to collaborate and will even try to involve the area of ​​Foreign Affairs.

According to reports, the telematic meeting regarding the collapse of the RN-134 highway took place “in a tone of great cordiality and understanding ”. The actions could last between six months and a year, so the priority objective is to shorten the deadlines “as much as possible”.

Puente has not been the only member of his portfolio to get involved. The Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano, has conveyed the situation to the French representative, Aude Charrier, during the Informal Council of Transport Ministers of the European Union, which has taken place in Budapest. According to Santano, it is “just as important to complete the railway connections ” and integrate them into the European network.

CONCERN AT CEOE ARAGON

Also this Friday, the president of the Economic Situation Commission of CEOE Aragón, Félix Longás, expressed his concern about the situation of the crossings. However, he believes, as does the Secretary of State, that it is not just a matter of fixing the tunnel but that these actions must go hand in hand with the Central Pyrenees Crossing and the reopening of Canfranc. All this after France estimated this week that it could be a reality by 2032. “We are content with putting patches and, to go far, we have to think big. Perhaps we should become more incisive and communicate this well to Europe,” Longás said.

Otherwise, he explains, it would mean being at a disadvantage compared to Catalonia and the Basque Country , the other two regions bordering France and which have these routes. “ Tons of goods ” cross through them every day. “This means losing competitiveness, a cost that does not add any value to our product,” he stressed.