The European Parliament adopted by 546 votes to 104 with 41 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network.
Parliament adopted its position in first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure. The amendments adopted in plenary were the result of a compromise negotiated between Parliament and council. They amended the proposal as follows :
Scope: the amended text states that the trans-European transport network comprises transport infrastructure and telematic applications as well as measures promoting the efficient management and use of such infrastructure and permitting the establishment and operation of sustainable and efficient transport services.
Inland waterway transport will be covered by the regulation.
Objectives and priorities: the trans-European transport network shall demonstrate European added value by contributing to the objectives laid down in the following four categories:
(a) cohesion through: (i) accessibility and connectivity of all regions of the Union, including remote, outermost, insular, peripheral and mountainous regions, as well as sparsely populated areas; (ii) reduction of infrastructure quality gaps between Member States; (iii) a transport infrastructure that provides for a balanced coverage of all European regions;
(b) efficiency through: (i) the removal of bottlenecks and the bridging of missing links; (ii) the interconnection and interoperability of national transport networks; (iii) optimal integration and interconnection of all transport modes; (iii) cost-efficient application of innovative technological and operational concepts;
(c) sustainability through the promotion of low-carbon transport with the aim of achieving by 2050 a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, in line with the relevant Union CO2 reduction targets;
(d) increasing the benefits for its users through: (i) meeting the mobility and transport needs of its users within the Union and in relations with third countries;(ii) ensuring safe, secure and high-quality standards, for both passenger and freight transport; (iii) supporting mobility even in the event of natural or man-made disasters, and ensuring accessibility to emergency and rescue services; (iv) accessibility for elderly people, persons of reduced mobility and disabled passengers.
Planning the trans-European transport network: in planning and developing the trans-European transport network, Member States shall take account of the particular circumstances in the various parts of the Union, such as, in particular, tourism aspects and topographical features of the regions concerned. Furthermore, the interests of regional and local authorities and representatives of civil society must be taken into account in relation to the planning and design of projects.
Eligibility criteria for projects of common interest: projects of common interest should be economically viable on the basis of a socio-economic cost-benefit analysis and environmentally sustainable and feasible. Member States should carry out ex-ante assessments of the accessibility of infrastructure and of the services connected to it.
Regarding cooperation with third countries, projects must: (i) connect the core network at border crossing points and concern infrastructure necessary to ensure seamless traffic flow, border checks, border surveillance and other border control procedures; (ii) promote maritime transport and motorways of the sea, excluding financial support to third-country ports;(iii) facilitate inland waterway transport with third countries.
Motorways of the sea: the amended text states that motorways of the sea, representing as they do the maritime dimension of the trans-European transport network, shall contribute towards the achievement of a European maritime transport space without barriers.
Within two years after being designated, the European Coordinator for motorways of the sea shall present a detailed implementation plan for the motorways of the sea based on experiences and developments relating to Union maritime transport as well as the forecast traffic on the motorways of the sea.
Telematic applications: telematic applications - for railways: ERTMS; for inland waterways: RIS; for road transport: ITS; shall be subject to simplified administrative procedures and shall be deployed where feasible across the Union, in order to enable a set of interoperable basic capabilities to exist in all Member States.
Core network: the core network, as shown on the maps contained in Annex I, shall reflect evolving traffic demand and the need for multimodal transport. It shall, in particular, contribute to coping with increasing mobility and ensuring a high safety standard as well as contributing to the development of a low-carbon transport system.
The nodes of the core network include: inland waterways ports; railroad terminals; and passenger and freight airports.
In order to establish the core network in a coordinated and timely manner, Member States concerned should ensure that appropriate measures are taken to finalise the projects of common interest by 2030. By 31 December 2023, the Commission shall carry out a review of the implementation of the core network.
Infrastructure and railway transport: railway transport infrastructure of the core network shall meet the following requirements: (i) full electrification of the line tracks; (ii) freight lines with the possibility of running trains with a length of 740 m; (iii) full deployment of ERTMS; (iv) nominal track gauge for new railway lines of 1435 mm.
The particular situation of isolated rail networks should be recognised by way of exemptions from certain infrastructure requirements.
Core network corridors: these will be focused on infrastructure development of the core network so as to eliminate bottlenecks, improve cross-border connections and improve efficiency and sustainability. They should contribute to cohesion through improved territorial cooperation. The corridor approach should be transparent and clear and the management of such corridors should not create additional administrative burdens or costs.
The amended text stressed the role of the European Coordinators, which was of major importance for the development of, and cooperation along, the corridors.
One year after the entry into force of this Regulation each European Coordinator shall submit to the Member States concerned a work plan analysing the development of the corridor. After it has been approved by the Member States concerned, the work plan shall be submitted for information to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission.
Updating and reporting: Member States shall inform the Commission on a regular, comprehensive and transparent basis about the progress made in implementing projects and the investments made for that purpose. This shall include the transmission of annual data as far as possible through the interactive geographical and technical information system for the trans-European transport network (TENtec). It shall include all relevant data concerning projects of common interest in receipt of Union funding.