Brussels, 28/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas opened a two-day conference, “Connect to Compete”, on the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). In addition to discussion of the new TEN-T guidelines, the spotlight will also be put on the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the budget for which is still in the gift of the member states in their negotiations on the multiannual financial framework.
Kallas can never say it often enough: Europe has to be better connected, particularly on border lines, and the various transport modes must be made interoperable. The guidelines proposed for the TEN-T, in the form of a core network map for 2030 and a comprehensive network map for 2050, should help in this. Kallas is pleased that, in March, the Transport Council signed up to this approach and to the methodology for selecting projects, and also to the CEF. Parliament was due to give its view on these issues this week, but the Parliamentary committee vote has been delayed until 18 December. However, the members of the transport and tourism committee (TRAN) have put down over 1,000 amendments to the TEN-T guidelines - a matter of some concern to the commissioner. Some of the amendments do not present any kind of obstacle, he said, but others are not in line with the methodology proposed by the Commission. “I urge MEPs to focus on the essential”, he said. Chairman of the TRAN committee Brian Simpson (S&D, UK) remains critical. Everyone, he argues, is looking after their own interests, and therein lies the problem. National priorities are important for MEPs, he says, so that the result is a mosaic of projects, but no European plan. He repeated that it was important to stick to the methodology proposed by the Commission and reject most of the amendments. This is not the time for Christmas present lists, he said. The co-rapporteur on this issue, Georgios Koumoutsakos (EPP, Greece) goes one stage further, saying it is time to vote and take decisions. He promises that the guidelines will be adopted by the TRAN committee and will strengthen governance of the various corridors.
No one, however, is forgetting the CEF, the budget for which is still under negotiation. It is the CEF that will be the financial mechanism that will, in future, allow increased investment in the TEN-T. Simpson takes the view that budget negotiations in this area have been disappointing and wonders if, ultimately, the member states will just decide to invest money in growth and jobs, even though the EU cannot forego investment in infrastructure. Kallas claimed that the CEF is the best example of European added value in the budget. He continues to fear that pressure on national budgets will lead countries to give priority to their own, rather than European projects.
The “Connect to Compete” conference is taking place over two days and beside it stands an exhibition of various projects along the length of the TEN-T. Thursday 29 November will be an information day on the next call for proposals 2012 for European funding on the network. The European Commission seized the opportunity also to present its new public portal TENtec, which provides up to date information on the progress of the TEN-T, through dynamic maps. (MD/transl.fl)