Out-Law News 2 min. read
11 Sep 2012, 3:46 pm
The Commission has selected 74 projects which will receive a share of the 2011 trans-European transport network (TEN-T) financing pool totalling €198.63m. The TEN-T programme, intended to support coordinated transport infrastructure improvements across the EU, will fund a variety of projects ranging from the construction or upgrade of current links, support of transport corridors and the use of public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements and other innovative financial instruments.
Other UK projects set to benefit include the York Street Interchange, providing connections to Belfast Port; enhancements to the rail freight route between Felixstowe and Nuneaton, and a project to remove a bottleneck on the Northern Ireland rail network between Coleraine and Derry.
Siim Kallas, Commission Vice-President responsible for transport, said that the money would allow EU member states to continue to invest in infrastructure "during a time of general economic stagnation".
"The European Commission continues to support the construction and upgrade of European transport infrastructure to ensure its citizens can reap the benefits of a complete, safe and modern network," he said. "Moreover, the almost €200m made available today will also help to support employment in the EU by allowing member states to continue investing in large and small infrastructure projects."
The TEN-T programme is intended to provide integrated long-distance high-speed travel throughout Europe via road, rail, inland waterways, airports, seaports, inland ports and traffic management systems. It is part of a wider system of planned trans-European networks including a telecommunications network and a proposed energy network. Projects are technically and financially managed by the TEN-T Executive Agency, which was established by the Commission in October 2006.
The total investment in transport infrastructure anticipated by the European Commission to sufficiently upgrade the network has been estimated at over €1.5 trillion between 2010 and 2030, with €550 billion needed by 2020 to complete the TEN-T network. The programme ensures that network development can be planned at European level, in close collaboration with national governments.
Grants are allocated to projects based on whether they meet the priorities of the programme, which include promoting the development of an integrated transport system, accelerating and facilitating the implementation of projects and support for the long-term implementation of the network particularly with regards to the development of transport corridors. Funding is provided to studies - from feasibility studies to environmental and geological explorations - as well as to the wider preparation, implementation and works stages of a project.
The 2011 funding round will provide finance to 'single-country' projects in almost every member state, including the UK. In addition it will support 'multi-country' projects including a study to assess fast charging technologies to enable the potential deployment of electric vehicles in Ireland and Northern Ireland, and air traffic management integration involving Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Romania, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK.
