On Tuesday 5 December in Brussels, Transport Ministers from the member states held a Council of the European Union transport group meeting. At the meeting they adopted conclusions on the digitalisation of the sector, the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
In the initial text, the Council underlines the importance of digitalising transport for the future of the Union from both an economic and environmental point of view. It therefore calls on the Commission to work with the member state and stakeholders to implement a specific sector digitalisation strategy and analyse related areas of responsibility accompanying the digitalisation of society. Ministers also identified key aspects of work, such as the inland waterways and rail transport.
In the second text, the Council calls on the Commission to provide an impact study of the TEN-T investments into jobs and growth for mid-2018, as well as a study providing the results from the first call for proposals for the CEF. Ministers are also appealing for the CEF to be strengthened as a means of completing the TEN-T and are, to this end, calling on the Commission to raise more public and private finance. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)