Question for written answer E-004955/2014 to the Commission Rule 117 Mara Bizzotto (EFD)

Subject: European funding for the Ponte degli Bridge in Bassano del Grappa

The bridge at Bassano del Grappa (known as the Ponte di Bassano, Ponte Vecchio or Ponte degli Alpini) is one of Europe’s finest and most important monuments. It is evocative of history and of an artistic heritage which has been part of the lives of the citizens of Bassano del Grappa, in the of , for centuries.

The bridge dates back 1 000 years and has been rebuilt several times after destruction by war and by flooding of the river . On 17/02/1945 it was blown up by the Volontari della Libertà (freedom volunteers) to save the from being bombed. After the war, the military corps of the Alpini rebuilt it as Ponte degli Alpini and it was officially opened, in the presence of Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi, on 3 October 1948. Designed by , the bridge is of great architectural value. It also has immense symbolic value for Bassano del Grappa, the and the whole of .

Like all major architectural works, Bassano’s bridge requires constant, expensive maintenance work. From 2007 to date, Italy has received more than EUR 2 billion to restore its monuments and revive its tourism, and has only managed to spend half this sum. For example, Europe has allocated more than EUR 105 million to save the archaeological site of Pompei, of which EUR 78 million was granted directly by Brussels and EUR 27 million co-funded with the Italian government. There is a risk that this money will remain unspent, because of Italian bureaucracy and the inability of local government to draw up programmes of works to spend the European funding.

1. Does the Commission plan to intervene, as at Pompei, with financial support for the conservation and restoration of the Ponte di Bassano?

2. Does it intend to provide funds earmarked for the conservation of cultural heritage under the Horizon 2020 programme to the local authority in Bassano del Grappa?

1027722.EN PE 534.699