The Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, presented the first results of the consultation on the revision of the Regulation (1315/2013) on the development of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) to the members of the European Parliament’ s Transport Committee (TRAN) on Tuesday 23 June.
Although further feedback is still awaited, the first contributions to this consultation, initiated in April 2019, have identified two avenues of work for the revision of the TEN-T regulation, the Commissioner detailed.
This revision should, on the one hand, make it possible to improve the quality of the infrastructure, said Ms Vălean. This will include making it mandatory to provide infrastructure for the use of alternative fuels and to take into account military mobility needs, she said.
The revision of the Regulation should, on the other hand, address the planning and implementation of infrastructure projects. The Commissioner acknowledged that some may not be completed by 2030, as originally planned.
“But extending this deadline is not an option, the only way forward is to strengthen the mandatory nature of member states obligations and to reinforce the EU level instruments”, she said. A first working document should be published by the institution next November.
Most of the political group coordinators questioned the Commissioner on the measures she intends to take to force states to implement the core network and to make good use of European funding in order, in particular, to green the sector.
“The Commission cannot yet hide behind legislation. There is no point in adopting a new text if there is no real willingness on the part of states to comply with it”, denounced José Ramón Bauzá Díaz (Renew Europe, Spain).
Several interventions also referred to the recent report of the European Court of Auditors, which revealed considerable delays in the completion of many TEN-T cross-border projects (see EUROPE 12507/18), partly due to poor coordination by the Commission. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)