MEPs of the European Parliament's ‘Transport’ Committee voted (37 votes in favour, 6 against, 4 abstentions) on Thursday 10 January in favour of a report drafted by Dominique Riquet (ALDE, France) on streamlining measures for advancing realisation of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T).
The report voted in the Parliamentary committee echoes the European Commission's proposal of 17 May last, which was presented as part of the third ‘mobility’ package (see EUROPE 12022). In particular, the institution had recommended that a national 'single competent authority' should handle the procedures for applying for, evaluating and awarding projects of common interest relating to the TEN-T network. It further suggested that these projects should be given priority status, where such status exists at the national level, or that application and selection procedures should be limited to three years.
While the Commission's initial proposal focuses on the core TEN-T network, MEPs believe that Member States should be able to extend the scope of the text’s application to the comprehensive network. In addition, States that do not have a national priority status should, in their view, create such a regime.
Parliamentarians also want joint competent authorities to be set up to manage procedures relating to cross-border projects. Finally, they advocate a shortening of procedural deadlines for project applications and selections.
Despite the adoption of this report by MEPs, inter-institutional negotiations ('trialogues') cannot start immediately. Indeed, the Union's Transport Ministers adopted only a progress report at the ‘Transport’ Council meeting on 3 December (see EUROPE 12151, 12148). (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)