Brussels, 20/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - Although the mechanism for linking up Europe and its funding has been welcomed, the new orientations for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) (EUROPE 10477) are still a cause for concern when the new initiatives and budgets are examined. Concerns mainly focus on financial investment (estimated to be around €500 billion by 2020) and the environmental exercise.
On Wednesday 19 October, the Commission adopted a mechanism for Europe's interconnection and released €50 billion for improving infrastructure connection in the Union. The €31.7 billion promised to transport networks, combined with €9.2 billion for energy and telecommunications respectively, obviously won overwhelming support. Nonetheless, although transport benefited from a more generous budget, this European money will scarcely be able to provide relief to national budgets that have to put the revised TEN-T into place. Its new strategy was announced on the same day by European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas. The new strategy revises the concept of transport in Europe into a central network covering Europe divided up into 10 corridors and underpinned by a global network covering all Union regions. The first is expected to be completed by 2030, the second in 2050. Both of them promote a preference for rail and maritime transport for reasons related to energy efficiency and adaptation to climate change.
€31.7 billion is not much. Socialists at the European Parliament have already announced that the €31.7 billion allocated through the Connecting Europe Facility will not be a lot of help in carrying out the Commission's goals. Marita Ulvskog MEP ( Sweden), S&D Vice President, voiced her concern and stated: “It is time to invest our resources in strengthening our common infrastructure. But I am afraid this proposal falls short. The investment required to complete and modernise a true trans-European network in the enlarged EU amounts to some €500 billion from 2007 to 2020.”
This point of view was shared by the director of the Community of European Railways (CER), Johannes Ludewig, who suggested that “the future TEN-T network will, however, require significant national investments beyond the proposed EU budget of €31.7 billion. The innovative financing tools proposed by the Commission can help ease the burden on national governments, but more efficient financing tools, such as the internalisation of external costs and the user-pays principle, will be necessary in order for Europe to realise the proposed future TEN-T network by 2050.”
Although the railways are the big winners in the reshuffle, they are afraid that the corridors defined by the Commission will ultimately lead to greater traffic chaos. The CER added that the railways are concerned by the Commission's determination to introduce interoperability into the different railway systems in Europe by imposing technical standardisation. The CER thinks that this may prove to be a heavier burden on national budgets than is necessary.
Environmental support in question. The key question also involves the feasibility of the new orientations for the TEN-T being able to meet the European environmental goals, even though the Commission is determined to develop a multimodal network and is encouraging rail transport over roads. This has obtained the support from the Greens at the European Parliament who, nevertheless, are afraid of there only being a sprinkling of funds available. Eva Lichtenberger (Greens, Austria) said: “Significantly extending rail transport will be crucial if the EU is to meet its climate and environmental goals and we welcome that it has been given a prominent place as part of the core network. However, the proposed corridors risk failing again due to the preoccupation with large, long-term prestige projects, and the never-ending planning and financing procedures these entail.” She also deplored the fact that“the proposals fail to set clear eligibility criteria, combined with efficient enforcement mechanisms and sanctions, to ensure that transport projects are consistent with EU environment and climate goals”. This was also underlined by the Transport & Environment NGO which wants the different levels of European funding to be comprehensively based on the degree of how “clean” the projects are.
Regional appeals. Following the general criticism of the new orientations proposed for the TEN-T, more targeted comments are now doing the rounds, such as those made by Alain Cadec (EPP, France) who regrets that a great swathe of the Atlantic regions are losing out: “In the proposals, only half the Atlantic seaboard is part of the priority investment axis, although the European Union's Atlantic coast is not just that between Portugal and Bordeaux. It is leaving out half the northern seaboard from Bordeaux to Scotland, which is inadmissible.” This appeal could resonate with the dissatisfaction that may stem from the reshuffle in the future. (MD/transl.fl)