The doubling of the Mont Blanc Tunnel: France’s ‘opening up’

Once again, the Italian government is aiming to secure a commitment from the French on the project to double the Mont Blanc tunnel – the only one of the major Alpine tunnels, in terms of traffic volume, that still has a single, two-way tunnel. The setting is the Italia-France Cross-Border Cooperation Committee, which is meeting for the third time in three years, in the presence of Minister Antonio Tajani and his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Antonio Tajani, speaks of a ‘willingness’ on France’s part. “I appreciated,” says Tajani, “the minister’s willingness to consider an impact assessment drawn up by two universities so that a concrete evaluation of the project can be made, before moving on to the discussion and seeing whether France might be interested. I consider this an opening. Evaluating the proposal means not saying no on principle, but rather that we will study and assess it, and then make our decisions.”

The day began with a meeting in Courmayeur, followed by an afternoon event at the Fort of Bard. “The tunnel issue,” emphasised the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, alongside the presidents of the Aosta Valley and Piedmont, Renzo Testolin and Alberto Cirio, “is fundamental to the economic development not only of the Aosta Valley and Piedmont, but I would say of the whole of north-western Italia.” The doubling of the tunnel, argues Tajani, “does not mean more pollution but the exact opposite: it will reduce pollution because there will be fewer traffic jams on both sides.”

According to Francesco Turcato, president of Confindustria Valle d’Aosta, ‘today’s meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot did not provide the answers we were hoping for regarding the Mont Blanc tunnel’. On the Italian side, Turcato argues, “we have received full endorsement of the proposal to double the capacity of the existing tunnel, from the French side there is only a minimal opening to the possibility of launching a feasibility study on this proposal, which is the one Confindustria considers to be the only sustainable option for the economy of the entire North-West. It is not what I expected, but it is something.’ We will press ahead, adds the president of the Aosta Valley industrialists, ‘and I am sure the Government will do the same at the intergovernmental summit in Cannes on 26 June.’

The focus of the discussion was therefore the future of the tunnel, which for the past two years has been subject to periodic closures of around three months for major maintenance work. The Mont Blanc Tunnel, together with the Terzo Valico and the high-speed rail link, represents a key piece of infrastructure for the development of the entire north-west region. ‘We are here to send a clear signal, also on behalf of the government, in favour of the construction of the second tube, to demonstrate the level of attention this government, and I personally as Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, are paying to such an important issue. Every time we raise the issue, some progress is made, and I would like it to be placed on the agenda at the next Italian-French summit in Cannes because it is a fundamental issue for economic growth and environmental protection,” Tajani reiterated. France is the third-largest market for Italian exports, with trade having grown by 6% in 2025, the Foreign Ministry noted in a statement.