• At the end of 2018, Europa-Park presented a Franco-German cable car link project spanning the Rhine, the starting point for a more global project called “Europa Vallée”.

  • Since then, opponents of the project have complained about a lack of transparency on the subject.

  • A "study on economic and tourist development in central Alsace" is underway and could be decisive for the future of the project.

Going through all the emotions is the essence of a rollercoaster.

But in this specific case, the various players in the case would do well without it.

Since Europa-Park announced, in 2018, its desire to install a cable car between the amusement park located in Germany and Alsace, rumors have been rife about the creation of a famous "Europa Valley" which will could emerge on the French side.

Concretely, what is it?

Last Saturday, a collective called Chaudron des alternatives led a towing campaign in Diebolsheim and Sundhouse, two towns in the Ried of central Alsace likely to host the project.

The objective of the activists: to alert the population to the supposed impact of Europa Vallée in terms of "noise nuisance and pollution".

“We know absolutely nothing”

"We are against the project, because it will lead to concreting and the artificialization of the land", explains Pascal Lacombe, one of the organizers of the collective.

The activist also deplores the lack of information on this subject: “We want transparency, because for the moment we know absolutely nothing, except noises or rumours.

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In its sights: the constitution of a group of orders which aims to carry out “a study relating to the economic and tourist development in central Alsace”.

A joint approach by the State and several local authorities including the Grand Est region, the Bas-Rhin department, the communities of municipalities concerned and Adira (Alsace Development Agency).

The latter is also "designated as coordinator of the group of commands".

For Pascal Lacombe, it is purely and simply “a feasibility study for Europa Vallée”.

The member of the Chaudron des alternatives denounces “a denial of democracy”: “Why is there such opacity with public money, knowing that the group of orders is financing this study to the tune of 260,000 euros for private projects?

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“False” Arguments

In the agreement constituting the grouping of orders that

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has obtained, there is indeed mention in article 1 "of the emergence of the Europa Vallée project" and of the fact of "promoting the prospect of carrying out the Europa Vallée project by its harmonious integration into its future economic, social and environmental environment”.

If Monique Jung confirms that "the project was the starting point of a more global reflection", the director of Adira castigates the notion of "feasibility study": "It is fallacious to reduce the grouping of orders to that.

Europa Vallée is one of the 25 or 40 other projects concerned by the reflection, on a perimeter which extends from Strasbourg to Mulhouse and from the Alsatian side of the Vosges to the Black Forest.

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She assures him: "The objective is precisely not to carry out a feasibility study, but really a global diagnosis to measure the global implication that this can have on agricultural, tourist, environmental, economic issues..."

Answers at the end of the year

In addition, Monique Jung indicates that the first phase of the three phases of the study, “that of the diagnosis of territory”, will be “presented during this week to all the people questioned.

The director of Adira believes that “the final restitution” of the results of the study “is planned for the second half of 2022, but it is not yet fixed”.

It therefore only remains to wait before knowing the concrete details of a project that is still far from being put on track.

In 2018, Michael Mack, one of the associate directors of Europa-Park, himself announced the closing of the "friendship cable car".

Contacted about Europa Vallée, the amusement park “does not wish to comment on this issue”.

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