Trans-European transport network: Community guidelines

The Council's common position corresponded closely to the Commission's amended proposal. However, it included a number of changes, the key changes relating to the proposals to exclude from the decision the specific provisions concerning environmental protection requirements and the new Annex III listing the priority infrastructure projects which should commence within five years. Nor did it adopt certain EP amendments relating to the infrastructure projects to be included in the maps in Annex I of the draft decision. The Council also included new provisions aimed at: - supplementing the characteristics of the road network; - including in the high-speed rail network a category of specially built lines to respond to specific situations; - changing the descriptions of the three types of airports; - repealing Decision 78/174/EEC setting up a committee in the field of transport infrastructure; - removing from or adding to the lists certain links relating to road, rail, combined transport and inland waterway networks; - including capital costs for ice-breaking works during winter under port and port-related infrastructure projects involving access to ports from the sea or inland waterways; - amending the specifications of the projects relating to airports. The Council retained the European Parliament's amendment concerning, in particular: - the objectives and nature of the guidelines established by the decision; - the proposal to define the essential requirements relating to interoperability and telematics separately from this decision; - the establishment of the network in accordance with the outline plans indicated on the maps in Annex I and the specifications in Annex II and the proposal to include the strengthening of economic and social cohesion among the detailed objectives; - the definition of the network components as transport infrastructures and management systems; - the addition of three new broad lines of measures; - the addition of certain priorities for Community action; - cooperation with third countries on trans-European transport networks; - the criteria to be met so that a project may be considered of common interest; - the compatibility of projects of common interest with the rules of the Treaty as regards questions of competition; - the removal of articles referring to the specific conditions of each modal network; - with regard to the characteristics of the rail network, the reference to current or new technology to equip lines specially built for high speeds; - the inclusion of new provisions relating to traffic management for inland waterway networks and ports; - the reference to coastal shipping under seaports; - the positioning and navigation network; - the creation within the Commission of a "committee on the trans-European transport network" which did not come under the Council's decision on comitology; - the revision of the guidelines (Commission report to be submitted every five years from 1 July 1999). �