On Thursday 19 January, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez and French President Emmanuel Macron will meet in Barcelona for a new Spanish-French summit.
On the occasion of this meeting, eco-union, together with other French and Spanish civil society organisations, have published a press release urging both governments to integrate low-carbon cross-border mobility in the Friendship Treaty to be signed during the summit.
In the document we highlight that, for decades, France and Spain enjoyed a close relationship based on growing and fruitful cultural, social and economic exchanges. However, today, the vast majority of the movement of people and goods between the two countries is carried out by highly polluting modes of transport based on fossil fuels, such as cars, trucks and planes.
We insist that the development of cross-border rail connections is essential to give citizens the choice of a more sustainable mobility between the two countries and to contribute to the fight against climate change. Investing in the modernisation of the network and modern rail facilities also creates green jobs, promotes responsible tourism and supports competitive industrial development.