Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-03-Speech-3-071"
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"en.20000503.5.3-071"2
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"Mr President, the trans-European networks are often hailed as one of the key successes of European integration. This is true to some extent but they also make our society more vulnerable. They help to strengthen the cohesion between the economies of the EU Member States. Each country is becoming increasingly reliant on imported energy and a great deal of effort also goes into consultation and legal rulings.
What effect does this have on the people in Europe? Perhaps an increase in the number of jobs in the short term. In the longer term, it could be that, quite unintentionally, businesses become more vulnerable owing to technical defects in a costly transport system and that jobs could, at short notice, be moved to areas with lower wages, poorer working conditions and fewer environmental requirements. Nothing therefore to get too excited about for the time being.
Similarly, the major transport projects are not as promising as the annual report would like to suggest. For the north-south high-speed link from Berlin to Verona, only a few minor components have been constructed. In England, the connection of the high-speed link which runs through the Channel Tunnel has been in the doldrums for many years as a result of the privatisation and the splitting up of the railway companies in that country. Spain has decided
to go ahead with a European standard gauge for the high-speed link between Madrid and Barcelona, which
used for the line from Madrid to Seville.
The construction of the Betuwe line through the Netherlands is becoming increasingly controversial. Economic experts have calculated that this expensive line would never be a success. The costs seem to increase daily, the inland shipping industry considers this line to be distorting competition, freight transport by road does not seem to have gone down as a result and environmental activists are thwarting activities on a daily basis. All in all, a good enough reason to abandon the Betuwe line project.
There is still far too little broad-based, social debate on the priorities set and choices made. The people of Europe are entitled to more information on the impact of the TENs, i.e. the impact on their livelihoods, the costs involved, environmental considerations and the rate of implementation."@en1
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