*According to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), it was
high time to update the existing TEN-T rules, taking into account the
current policy context and the lessons learned from the 2013 Regulation.
Focused on cohesion, the new proposal aims to improve passenger and freight
connectivity across the entire Union, through an increasingly multimodal
and resilient transport network.*
The EU needs an updated trans-European transport network regulation to
thoroughly contribute to sustainability and smart mobility, including rail.
This is the main message from the opinion on the Revision of the TEN-T and
Rail Freight Corridor Regulation drafted by *Stefan Back* and adopted at
the March plenary session.
The new regulation will upgrade the existing regulatory framework that
dates back to 2013 and will help achieve, on the infrastructure side, the
goals set in the Green Deal, the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy
and the Rail Action Plan.
Commenting on the adoption of the opinion, *Mr Back* said: "It was high
time to propose a new regulation that takes into consideration the current
policy context and capitalises on the lessons learned in the past few
years. The plan to strengthen the rules on TEN-T implementation is very
good news, because the roll-out of the current regulation has seen
significant delays and has not been satisfactory".
*Connecting all EU regions*
The Committee values in particular the European Commission's intention to
put cohesion at the heart of the proposal. This means ensuring
accessibility and connectivity in all EU regions for both passenger and
freight traffic when implementing the network. Moreover, it also brings
about efficient coordination and interconnection between, on the one hand,
long-distance, regional and local traffic and, on the other, transport in
urban nodes.
From a technical point of view, the EESC is in favour of increasingly
harmonising the infrastructure requirements of the "core" and
"comprehensive" networks and fixing milestones: 2030 for the implementation
of the core network, 2040 for the so-called extended core network and 2050
for the comprehensive network. With reference to the 2030 deadline, the
EESC reiterates the feasibility doubts raised in its 2020 evaluation
report, but considers that the deadline should be maintained to bring
pressure to bear on the Member States.
Likewise, the Committee backs the focus on "European Transport Corridors"
and the strong monitoring mechanism and enhanced role of the European
Coordinators. The former establishes the main arteries of EU transport,
which should be the focus of efforts to promote efficient transport and
multimodality, while the latter will ensure their proper and timely
implementation.
*Strengthening the network's multimodality and resilience*
The EESC also stresses the importance of the added value and synergy
effects created by the improved coordination of the European Transport
Corridors with the Rail Freight Corridors. The intermodal transport chain
will become a reality only if rail freight links are efficient, i.e.
matched by relevant infrastructure enabling sufficient speed helping
towards punctuality. Insufficient rail punctuality has indeed been a major
obstacle to making multimodality, including rail, an attractive option.
Multimodality implies making the best possible use of the advantages of all
modes of transport to achieve the best possible results, while at the same
time improving safety and reducing the environmental burden. For this
reason, to fully contribute to the multimodal chain, the Committee also
underlines that a seamless interface is key between land transport and
other modes, including inland waterways, short sea shipping and aviation.
A network that generates long-lasting value for the people and businesses
of the EU not only needs to be multimodal but must also be resilient, in
particular to climate change, natural hazards and human-made disasters. The
EESC points out that increasing the network's resilience is key and that
resilience aspects should be taken into account as early as possible in a
project's planning phase.
*Background*
The proposal for an updated *Regulation on Union guidelines for the
development of the trans-European transport network* was presented by the
European Commission in December 2021 as a key action of the European Green
Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy.
Compared to the current regulation, the two-layer structure of the
trans-European transport network (TEN‑T) is maintained: the "core" network
includes the most important connections, linking the most important nodes,
while the "comprehensive" network covers all European regions. The four
specific objectives are further developed: efficiency, cohesion,
sustainability and increased user benefits.
The document addresses the delays in project preparation and implementation
of the current TEN-T Regulation by aligning national and TEN-T interests,
objectives and responsibilities and strengthening monitoring.
More specifically, the proposal: 1) ensures the alignment of the Rail
Freight Corridors with the European Transport Corridors and provides for
coordination between the two instruments; 2) introduces TEN-T maintenance
as a Member State obligation; and 3) empowers the Commission to withdraw EU
co-financing in the event of significant and unjustified delays in
implementing the networks, if the problem is not resolved within six months.
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