EU Mediterranean Corridor official calls for cooperation between Spain and Catalonia

The new EU coordinator for the Mediterranean Corridor, Iveta Radičová, has called for greater cooperation between the Catalan and Spanish governments in taking "real steps" towards completing the rail project that will pass through Barcelona to link southern Spain and the French border.

"If there is no willingness on behalf of the state government to cooperate with the regional government, Brussels cannot do anything about it," Radičová warned on Monday, while attending her first meeting of the Strategic Board of the Mediterranean Corridor.

Radičová also highlighted the need for cooperation between all the "involved sectors" in completing the Mediterranean Corridor. The development of the major rail link project has been afflicted by setbacks and delays for years.

The new EU coordinator also had questions about the Pertús tunnel, which she visited over the weekend and saw for herself that many fewer trains are using the tunnel than the 34,000 originally estimated. Radičová called for the "deficit" to be remedied so as to get the most out of the infrastructure.

Apart from Radičová, the meeting of the Strategic Board of the Mediterranean Corridor included the territory and sustainability minister, Damià Calvet, the business and knowledge minister, Àngels Chacón, as well as the Spanish government's new coordinator for the Mediterranean Corridor, Vicent Boira.