Speeches

Mr President, the heavy rains of recent days have caused very serious damage in the Pyrenean area of the province of Huesca, border with France, and have caused the closure of two priority cross-border crossings such as the Bielsa and Somport tunnels. Both closures are a major impact on the daily lives of hundreds of people who cross the border to work and study, and also for all productive sectors, especially for transport, local commerce and the tourism sector. The Spanish side expressed its solidarity with the French side and stated that the priority should be to restore the passage as soon as possible. However, we are concerned about the estimates made by France, which has announced a six-month closure for the passage of Somport: a measure that will undoubtedly harm socio-economic development and generate significant losses in these key sectors for the Altoaragonese economy and also for the Aspe Valley. We ask France to justify the estimated duration of the closure and to ensure that the works are carried out quickly. If it is not justified, we will ask the European Commission to intervene to demand the reopening of the crossing.