The Alps pose a significant challenge to trade between central and southern Europe, significantly impacting the EU Single Market. In 2024, the Letta Report highlighted this issue, aiming to prioritise alpine crossing improvements in the EU's 2025-2029 agenda. This aligns with fundamental EU principles of free movement of goods, talent and innovation.
On March 19, Lorenzo Barbo, Regional Director of Amazon Italy Logistics highlighted the need to strengthen critical infrastructure to support the flow of goods within the EU as part of a conference at the European Parliament entitled Bridging the Alps: Overcoming Barriers and Advancing Sustainable Connectivity in Europe. Organised by Italian industry association Confindustria and French employer federation Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF), the conference brought together key institutional and industry stakeholders from Italy, France and Germany, including Mathieu Grosch, Mediterranean TEN-T Corridor Coordinator, and eight Italian Parliament representatives.
"Connectivity and competitiveness are inextricably linked, with profound implications for both national and regional economies," explained Barbo in his remarks. "Infrastructure quality is crucial for a country's competitiveness and economic growth: for logistics providers, it directly impacts efficiency and effectiveness. Quality infrastructure ensures businesses can receive and deliver goods safely and promptly."
Amazon's European footprint includes more than 350 logistics sites and partnerships with thousands of transportation companies. The company is a long-term investor in Europe, having invested over €180 billion in the EU since 2010. In 2023, more than 127,000 EU-based SMEs sold over 1.3 billion products worldwide through Amazon, generating €14 billion in export sales. These businesses created more than 350,000 new jobs across the EU to support their online operations, significantly contributing to European SMEs' participation in global commerce.
“From our perspective, we have observed that infrastructure challenges, particularly at Alpine crossings, are already affecting our transport partners' performance in terms of reliability, safety, and punctuality," Barbo said. "Infrastructure failures and maintenance disruptions significantly impact transport networks between Italy and France, Switzerland, and Austria."
In fact, northwestern Italy, a crucial gateway for EU-Italian trade, is currently facing severe infrastructure challenges. The Mont Blanc tunnel's closure since September 2024 requires long-term maintenance, threatening to reduce regional GDP by up to 9.8%, with an €11 billion economic impact over 18 years. Additionally, other key routes such as the Frejus railway line and Tenda Pass are closed or restricted due to various issues.
The economic stakes are high: 83% of Italian goods transit through Alpine passes, and trade volume through these routes has grown dramatically from €268 billion in 2000 to €698.3 billion in 2023. This underscores the urgent need to address these infrastructure challenges for continued European economic integration.
Confindustria and the northwestern Italian trade associations are calling for immediate political action at both national and European levels, proposing a dedicated working group with Italian, French and European Commission representatives to address these infrastructure challenges, particularly the Mont Blanc tunnel's second tube and Frejus railway restoration.
"Alpine crossings are not simple connections between states but strategic hubs, an asset for European trade and for the single European market," said Leopoldo Destro, Delegate of the President of Confindustria for Transport, Logistics and Tourism. "It is important and strategic to circulate goods fluidly and effectively throughout Europe. In this context, Alpine crossings represent a strategic priority that is not only Italian but above all European."
Matteo Salvini, Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, said "The Alps cannot be a divisive instrument."
Barbo's remarks concluded with concrete recommendations to address the persistent challenges of Alpine crossings. He said, "We encourage strengthened collaboration between Italy, France and neighbouring countries to enhance infrastructure capacity and quality across the alpine region. By fostering closer partnerships among infrastructure managers, service operators and local and national administrations, and potentially building upon the existing EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) framework, we can work towards more efficient solutions. Such cooperation is essential to overcome current bottlenecks, ensure smoother transportation flows and support the economic development of alpine regions while serving the broader needs of the Single Market. Moreover, we strongly support a coordinated political initiative led by the European Commission in partnership with countries that border the Alps. This initiative should focus on three key priorities: safeguarding the free movement of goods and talent, accelerating investment in Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) and specifically addressing the critical Alpine crossings between Italy and neighboring countries."
