Workers’ unions aim to prevent closing down of Fessenheim atomic power plant
French workers’ unions want to prevent the closing down of the Fessenheim atomic power plant, located about 40 kilometres north of Basel.
The unions “Force Ouvrière” (FO) and CFE-CGC filed a complaint at the French federal court against the decree to close down both reactors. “This decree is illegal because it was not launched by request of the power plant operator EDF, as it is demanded by the energy law,” the FO stated.
Environmentalists have long regarded the atomic power plant in the Alsace as a security risk and demand it be closed down. The departing French government had sealed the shutting down with a decree in April, even though the operators had planned to file an application for the cancellation of service only at a later date.
The current decree also does not aim for an immediate shutdown: Fessenheim should only be put out of service when a newnuclear reactor in Flamanville on the English Channel coast is up and running. This power plant is set to be finished at the end of 2018 following numerous delays.
According to information by a Federal Government spokesperson, the community of Fessenheim has also filed a complaint against the decree. By rule, it normally takes several months until a trial in cases such as this.
New initiative to be launched: “A lively city through sensible parking fees”
A committee made up of Basel restaurant owners and pub licensees wants to make the city centre more lively again by introducing more appropriate parking fees.
Basel is increasingly losing public parking spaces – especially in the city centre. This leaves little possibilities for entrepreneurs and visitors to park their cars in a central location in Basel. And if they do find a space, it is very expensive in comparison to other cities.
An independent committee therefore wants to launch a law initiative that demands an adjustment of Basel’s parking fees tomatch those in surrounding cities. With “consumer- and visitor-friendly parking fees”, the committee hopes to liven up the city centre. The committee also sees secure jobs in retail business and in recreational enterprises as a positive effect of this demand.
The initiative “A lively city through sensible parking fees” will be launched on 18th May.
New direct bus connections from Basel to Austria and Germany
FlixBus is extending its European route network. There are now new daily connections complementing the buses travelling from Basel to Austria and Germany.
There has been a daily night bus between Basel and the cities of Innsbruck, Rosenheim, Vienna, and Budapest since April. Due toa large demand, the network will now receive an additional daytime connection. The bus will leaves from Basel at 8am and stop at the Austrian cities of Feldkirch and Bludenz in Vorarlberg as well as St. Anton in Tyrol.
With these new connections, around 60 destinations in various European countries are reachable directly from Basel, the company has stated. With only one change, passengers can travel to more than 400 stops on the European network including Rome, Copenhagen, and Leipzig.