TRANS-EUROPEAN TRANSPORT NETWORK : COMMISSION CLARIFIES FINANCING PRIORITIES FOR 2014-2020.

What are the EU's priorities for financing transport infrastructure in the years 2014 to 2020? The broad outlines were drawn in the new Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) regulation and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). However, to give member states and private investors a better long-term view, the European Commission clarified its priorities in a communication, adopted on 7 January(1).

The paper is quite detailed. It refers, for instance, to specific projects with regard to cross-border infrastructure - Evora-Merida (Portugal-Spain), Seine-Escaut, Fehrman Belt between Denmark and Germany, Brenner Tunnel between Italy and Austria, etc - and projects for solving major bottlenecks (railway connection between Stuttgart and Ulm in Germany, high-speed railway connections between Halle-Leipzig and Nuremberg, and between Perpignan and Montpellier in France, etc).

The Commission also provides details on the amount of funds that could be released for horizontal projects like the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS, 800 million to 1.1 billion), air traffic control modernisation (SESAR, 2.3 to 3 billion), motorways of the sea (600 million to 1 billion) and railway noise reduction actions (200 million to 600 million).

The communication also includes a timetable for the appointment of the future European coordinators of each transport corridor and the organisation of working structures for each corridor.

(1) The document is available at

Trans-European Transport NetworkCommission clarifies financing priorities for 2014-2020By Isabelle SmetsWhat are the EU's priorities for financing transport infrastructure in the years 2014 to 2020? The broad outlines were drawn in the new Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) regulation and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). However, to give member states and private investors a better long-term view, the European Commission...