Green light for Seine-Northern Europe canal
The split of cost between the French government and the French regional and local public authorities made the breakthrough of a long-standing project possible. The joint funding of EUR 2.2 billion will be invested in the construction of a 107 km long and 54 m wide canal to link the Seine with the Scheldt River, which runs through northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Provision is also made in the agreement for additional French public spending on the project. The ground breaking is supposed to begin in 2021. The European Union is also investing an estimated budget of EUR 2 billion – the equivalent of 40% of the project’s total costs - within the framework of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
Already announced in 2012, the new canal will allow vessels almost seven times as big as hitherto to transport goods between the Seine and the ports of Dunkirk (France), Antwerp (Belgium) and Rotterdam (the Netherlands). (fd)
www.canal-seine-nord-europe.fr