Brussels, 15/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Court of Auditors has criticised the excessive disparities in the costs of the road projects funded by the EU via the structural funds. It suggests better practices in the co-funding of roads in Europe.
On Monday 15 July, the Court presented a report on use and misuse of European cohesion policy funds earmarked for road infrastructure. An audit has been carried out into this question in Germany, Poland, Spain and Greece for projects costing a total of €3 billion, paid for out of the cohesion fund and the European Regional Development Fund. The difference in construction per thousand square metres costs varies greatly (from an average of €280,000 in Germany to €496,000 in Spain). The Court also criticises the fact that the cost-efficiency ratio has not been respected in all cases. Although, in many cases, these projects have helped to improve safety and to reduce journey time, traffic forecasts have in very few cases been confirmed, and the type of road selected has not always been best suited to the traffic it carries. “Motorways should only be financed with EU money where there is a clear traffic need. Getting the right information to the planners and the engineers will help them keep down the cost of building roads”, explains Harald Wögerbauer, the Court member responsible for the report.
The Court of Auditors suggests a number of options to make the use of funds for motorway projects more efficient. Firstly, the European Commission should carry out better analyses of the differences in costs and the reason for these disparities, so that best practice becomes the norm. Additionally, the objectives and indicators should underpin the funding of the projects, and the best construction techniques should be exchanged at European level. Lastly, the Court of Auditors suggests that a European database should be created on unit prices to be used by the engineers involved, so that the tenders submitted to the public authorities can be more in line with the reality of costs. (MD/transl.fl)