Conference “The central connection of the Pyrenees”, infrastructure of the future to advance in a sustainable development.
The Colegio Mayor Universitario Miraflores and the Ibercaja Foundation have organized a conference dedicated to the analysis of the central connection of the Pyrenees.
The meeting brought together technical experts, political representatives, businessmen and institutional leaders from both countries to address, from different perspectives, the opportunities of improving the railroad connection in the central Pyrenees. This infrastructure is considered key to increasing economic competitiveness, improving the sustainability of freight transport and strengthening cross-border cooperation.
In addition, the conference included an analysis of the electricity interconnection between Spain and France, a strategic element in the current context to guarantee mutual energy support in the event of demand peaks, reinforcing the security and efficiency of both systems.
The program was structured in different round tables. The first one, under the title “Infrastructures”, counted with the participation of Iñaki Barrón de Angoiti, professor and international consultant in railway matters, and Rafael López Guarga, dean of the Association of Civil Engineers in Aragón, moderated by Manuel Liedana.
This was followed by the round table “Logistics, Operation and Energy”, with the participation of Salvador Galve, president of corREDores.eu, and José Ignacio Lallana, regional delegate of REDEIA, also moderated by Manuel Liedana.
The day also included a dialogue between top representatives of the Chambers of Commerce, with Jorge Villaroya Greschuhna, president of the Zaragoza Chamber of Commerce; Didier Laporte, president of the Pau-Béarn Chamber of Commerce; and Manuel Rodríguez Chesa, president of the Aragonese Council of Chambers and of the Huesca Chamber of Commerce, moderated by Ana Gascón, professor at the University of Zaragoza.
María Domínguez, CEO of Equimodal; Javier Apellániz, director of TransCanfranc; and José Víctor Esteban, director of Fundación Corell, participated in the round table “Business and Society”, moderated by Jaime Armengol, director of Mobility City.
The closing ceremony included institutional interventions by Valérie Demangel, Director for Europe and International of the Pau Béarn Pyrénées conurbation; Rosa Serrano, Member of the European Parliament; Borja Giménez Larraz, Member of the European Parliament; and Cristina García Gracia, Managing Director of the Trans-Pyrenees Foundation.
During the conference, the different aspects related to the central connection of the Pyrenees were analyzed from the social, economic and technical perspectives, through the contributions of the different agents involved. The participants agreed on the need for this strategic infrastructure, considered fundamental for the development of the territories and for the improvement of the competitiveness and sustainability of transport between both countries.
Likewise, the importance of reaching a global consensus accompanied by a clear political will on the part of the French and Spanish States to advance in its materialization was also highlighted. In this sense, the participating MEPs expressed their support and commitment to the promotion of this infrastructure, highlighting its priority nature within the European connections and committing themselves to defend before the European Commission the importance of this project by proposing its inclusion in the list of projects of common interest with a cross-border dimension of the next “Connecting Europe Facility” for the period 2028-2034 within the framework of the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
