Brussels, 07/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - The high-level group set up in October 2004 to study connecting EU transport networks with those of 26 neighbouring countries presented its final report to the Commission on 7 December (EUROPE 9031 and 9033). What was at stake in the year long work and discussions among the 53 countries involved (EU25, Romania, Bulgaria and 26 neighbouring countries) three international financial institutions (EIB, ERBD and the world bank) can be gathered from the title of the report, “Networks for peace and development”, but for Loyola de Palacio, President of the high-level group, it is more about making concrete the EU's policy towards neighbouring countries through joint projects.
The group identified the five major transit routes on which cooperation and finance efforts would be concentrated. The report stresses that the projects that were selected were those which “contribute most to international exchange, and allow cooperation and regional integration” Listed are the projects seeking to align the route on the EU's trans-European networks, those of short, medium and long term interest and those on multimodal routes of regional or national importance. The total cost of the projects is estimated at 45 billion euro, 35 billion of which should be released by 2020. While Member States struggle to reach agreement on the 2007-13 financial perspective, this report should, according to Mrs de Palacio, bring a “framework of rationality” that will allow sources of finance other than European neighbouring country policy funds, such as investment by Member States in bilateral arrangements, loans from international financial institutions or public-private partnerships to be considered (thanks to the guarantee instrument recently proposed by the Commission) or twinning or sponsoring arrangements. The projects selected should also quickly become profitable and should demonstrate clear benefits for private investors.
Implementation of these measures will be expensive and above all strong political will is required, said Mrs de Palacio. However, the report details a number of “horizontal measures” that could be started immediately to make exchanges flow more freely by removing physical, administrative, technical or linguistic barriers, the cost of which would be very low. Border control posts could be shared, for example, or Customs opening times, voltage of power lines and width of rail tracks could be agreed, international agreements could be implemented so that common documents could be used, English could be used as a lingua franca where there is no common language.
The report will be presented by Mrs de Palacio to Commissioner Barrot at the meeting of Transport Ministers from the Mediterranian region and the EU in Marrakech on 15 and 16 December, on the 10th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, and at which it is hoped to adopt the “blue paper” on the development of regional transport systems. In spring 2006, the Commission will present a communication on extension of networks to neighbouring countries, based on the conclusions of the high-level group. (The report and the map of the 5 large routes can be consulted on the DG TREN website: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/ten/transport/external_dimension/index_fr.htm)