Commission selects trans-European Transport Network priorities for EUR 2780 million funding

Brussels, 19/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission adopted a decision on Wednesday for the funding of the trans-European Transport Network (TETF) over the 2001-2006 period. After assessing all bids received, the Commission will allocate EUR 2780 million to successful projects. Nearly 50% of this amount will go to the large infrastructure projects endorsed by the 1994 Essen European Council, 20% will go to the Galileo programme, the rest being shared between various railway bottlenecks, cross-border projects and Intelligent Transport Systems. "The selected projects will contribute to meeting our key transport policy challenges as outlined in the Commission White Paper on Transport adopted on 12 September", said Vice-President of the Commission, Loyola de Palacio. In line with the objectives set out in the White Paper, the selected projects will aim to shift the balance between the different modes of transport.

The total amount for the programme will be divided as follows:

• Over EUR 1300 million (47%) for infrastructure projects endorsed by the 1994 Essen European Council. These projects include high-speed railway links (Paris-Brussels-Cologne/Frankfurt-Amsterdam-London; the "TGV Est" linking France and Germany; "TGV Sud"; the Betuwe rail freight line in the Netherlands, etc).
• Over EUR 550 million (20%) for the Galileo project, the European satellite navigation system.
• Nearly EUR 640 million (23%) for railway bottlenecks (infrastructure, track equipment, upgrading signalling systems, actions to ensure interoperability) and for cross-border projects (studies for the construction of a fixed link between Denmark and Germany over the Fehmarnbelt; work to increase safety in the Frejus Tunnel between France and Italy; improvement of rail and river connections between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic; measures to increase capacity on the Community side of the new Alpine crossing rail projects in Switzerland, etc).
• Nearly EUR 280 million (10%) for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) projects for the road and air sectors.

Putting into action the White Paper's objective to revitalise the railways, almost two thirds of the programmed support has been allocated to the rail sector. While studies will play an important role in the costly further technical, environmental and geological preparation of major projects such as the Alpine and Pyrenees crossing rail tunnels, most of the high-speed passenger rail "Essen projects" will experience their construction peak and are expected to be ready by the end of 2006. Significant support is given to completing missing links both within the Union and with third countries.