In a report published on Thursday 6 December, the European Court of Auditors called on the European Union and Member States to invest more in transport infrastructure while ensuring that it is well oriented and sustainable.
The auditors first stress the importance of the transport sector for the daily lives of European citizens and for employment, with nearly 11 million people working in this sector.
They then note, on the basis of estimates by the European Commission, that the development of transport infrastructure in the European Union is essential and that it "requires a considerable financial outlay". As a reminder, the Commission estimates that the investment cost of completing the core network of the Trans-European transport network (TEN-T) is estimated at €500 billion from 2020 to 2030.
However, the Court of Auditors notes that investments have slowed down since 2008 and the financial crisis, effectively delaying the modernisation of the network. According to the auditors, it is therefore necessary to mobilise financial resources to invest in the TEN-T network while focusing these investments on sustainability and digitisation.
As a reminder, transport is a shared competence and Member States have more competences than the EU in terms of infrastructure development, financing and construction. Moreover, due to the "limited availability of public funds", the Court of Auditors considers it "essential" to increase private sector investment.
The auditors thus identify six challenges that need to be addressed in the transport sector, including the definition of "relevant and achievable transport objectives and priorities" in the light of available resources, the concentration of funding on priorities with the highest EU added value and the proper maintenance and sustainability of transport infrastructure.
These challenges should also be seen in the light of the current negotiations on the Connecting Europe Facility (see EUROPE 12151, 12143), a significant instrument for financing transport infrastructure in the EU. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)