COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel gave enthusiastic backing on Tuesday to a long-planned but disputed multi-billion euro tunnel from Denmark to Germany that would significantly cut road travel time from Scandinavia to continental Europe.
Merkel was visiting Denmark on the day parliament in Copenhagen passed legislation allowing for the construction of the tunnel and unlocking funds of up to 65 billion Danish crowns (6.26 billion pounds).
On the German side, environment protests have held up progress. Merkel said she could not influence infrastructure construction plans, but would stick to a 2008 treaty between Denmark and Germany stipulating the link would be built.
"But we will do from our side everything so that things proceed as quickly as possible," she told reporters at the residence of Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.
"The German government sticks to its commitments in the treaty," Merkel said. "We will try to stick to the timeframe in the best possible way."
The tunnel would link the Danish island of Lolland to the German island of Fehmarn, which are then linked via bridges to southern Sweden in one direction and to mainland Germany in the other.
Both countries have also applied for almost 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in European Union funding. Denmark estimates the tunnel could start operations in 2024 at the earliest.