European delegation at Interporto Quadrante Europa: Verona is a strategic priority

This was what he said on 20th March 2012 while visiting the Consorzio ZAI-Interporto Quadrante Europa together with a delegation from the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Commission (TRAN), led by its President Brian Simpson. The visit was followed by a dinner with the Managing Director of FS SpA, Mauro Moretti. The delegation was welcomed by the President of Consorzio ZAI, Matteo Gasparato, the Extraordinary Commissioner for the Brenner Pass tunnel construction, Hon. Mauro Fabris, Verona Councillor Alessandro Montagna, Verona Province Councillor Samuele Campedelli, and Alessandro Bianchi, President of the Verona Chamber of Commerce. Pat Cox foresaw new European policies from 2014 in terms of investments in transport and intermodality, since the completion of Corridor 1 is one of Europe's top priorities. Brian Simpson himself reaffirmed how the Corridor represents a key route for goods traffic and that agreements with other countries interested in trading with the European Union, like Lithuania and Estonia, must be sealed. All the Member States must work together and it is important to find the best solution, not for one country but for the whole of Europe. Matteo Gasparato, in his welcoming speech, underlined that the future of the Interporto aims at developing connections with sea and river ports, the so-called fourth modality, which foresees, among other things, significant collaboration with the Mantova Valdaro area. Hon. Fabris pointed out that the Italian tract of the Brenner tunnel is in its advanced stages. Opening is scheduled for 2025, but the uncertain block on goods traffic in Austria in the summer is looming and the tunnel is expected to be closed for maintenance work.