Italy is "working tirelessly" to persuade France to open a second tube of the Mont Blanc Tunnel in a bid to prevent disruption to travellers and the transport of goods between the two countries resulting from the key Alpine route's closure.
"We are working tirelessly to convince the French to open the second Mont Blanc tube, in order to keep the passage between France and Italy open," foreign minister Antonio Tajani told a meeting in Turin organised by the Ascom Confcommercio trade association.
"This is precisely to allow imports and exports of products as to encourage tourism in Italy, especially to ski resorts in the north of Italy," he said.
The 11.6 kilometre Mont Blanc tunnel is set to close for planned maintenance work from early September to mid-December. The closure was postponed last year after a landslide blocked the alternative Frejus tunnel.
The Mont Blanc and Frejus tunnels are key to Italy's exports to France.
