The Valencian Association of Entrepreneurs (AVE) in Spain demands a quicker development of the Mediterranean Corridor, it said during a seminar where the vital corridor was discussed in Madrid on the 3rd of October.

Two thousand businessmen from the regions of Valencia, Murcia, Catalonia and Andalucia attended the event, where various industry players explained the importance of the rail freight corridor. The main objective of the project is to connect the regions of Andalucia, Murcia, Valencia and Catalonia with the French rail freight network, adopting the European gauge measurement. The regions included represent 45 per cent of Spanish GNP, 50 per cent of its population and 60 per cent of its exports.

Raising concern

The president of AVE, Vicente Boluda, expressed his concern over the slow pace of the government to complete this project, which was launched in 2004. The association has already convened several meetings and press conferences in Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia and Andalucía to convey to every stakeholder (trade unions, political parties, NGO’s etc.) the importance of the infrastructure.

The Spanish Minister of Development, Íñigo de la Serna, has asked for patience and pointed out that the government has been carrying out civil works since 2016, when the economy consolidated after having suffered a long economic crisis.