Ombudsman seeks environmental impact study of high-speed train in Barcelona

The European Union's ombudsman asked the European Investment Bank Tuesday to do an environmental impact study of a planned high-speed rail line through Barcelona _ a project benefiting from euro2.5 billion (US$4 billion) of EIB funding, a quarter of its total costs.

Ombudsman P. Nikiforos Diamandouros said a complaint by a Barcelona resident that Spain had not done such a study was valid. He said the bank must show an environmental impact study is carried out before granting funds to a …