Brussels, 22/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 22 July, the European Commission approved the renewal of eight mandates for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) coordinators in charge of facilitating implementation of some of the twenty priority network projects. The Commission renewed the mandate of five coordinators and appointed Carlo Secchi as the European Coordinator for No.19 (interoperability of high speed railway lines in the Iberian peninsula) and No.3 projects (high speed railway hub in South West Europe) where he takes over from Etienne Davignon. Karel Van Miert who died at the end of June (priority project No.1 Berlin-Palermo railway link) and Peter Balazs (priority project No.17 for the Paris-Vienna-Bratislava railway link) who has become the Hungarian foreign minister, will take place in the new European Parliament legislature later. In a press release, the European commissioner for transport, Antonio Tajani, declared: “Someone new will be nominated as soon as possible, in consultation with the new European Parliament and with the agreement of the member states concerned”. He also said that he had been “deeply moved” by the death of Mr Van Miert. Tajani explained that Mr Van Miert's successor would have a tough job but added that “we must continue the trajectory begun by Mr Van Miert and continue his activities in this priority project”. The coordinators who have had their jobs extended are: Laurens Jan Brinkhorst for priority project No.6 (Lyons-Trieste-Divaca/Koper-Divaèa-Ljubljana-Budapest-Ukrainian border rail link), Pavel Telicka priority project No. 27 (Baltica Warsaw-Kaunas-Riga-Tallinn-Helsinki rail link), Karel Vinck for the "ERTMS" project, Karla Peijs for priority project No.18 (Rhine/Meuse-Main-Danube river link) and priority project No.30 (Seine-Escaut Canal), Luís Valente de Oliveira for priority project No.21 (Motorways of the Sea). These new mandates will take effect from this Wednesday and be valid till July 2013. (A.By.trans/rh)