Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

AddedSHORT JUSTIFICATION

AddedAn efficient and well-developed trans-European transport network is essential for the smooth functioning as well as for the strengthening of the single market. In fact, it is through this network that the Union ensures the free movement of people and goods within its territory.

AddedTo this end, it is necessary that the trans-European transport network overcomes its existing limits through targeted investments able to contribute to the improvement of the network in terms of accessibility, inclusiveness and sustainability. In particular, making infrastructures and services more accessible to users, including persons with disabilities and reduced mobility, is a necessary condition for the proper functioning of the network, through the elimination of remaining bottlenecks that still generate congestion and by ensuring fast and continuous connections.

AddedFurthermore, to achieve the objectives set by this Regulation, it is necessary that free access to the networks is guaranteed in all Member States, as well as that sufficient funds are put in place to allow the construction and maintenance of infrastructures and to allow transport sector businesses to make long-term investment plans.

AddedIt is also of great importance to ensure access to European transport corridors to small and medium-sized enterprises, which are often located in peripheral production centres or in more remote areas. In this regard, it will be essential to create synergies between the structural funds allocated for the construction of the trans-European transport network and national infrastructure investments made through other funds, including the national recovery and resilience plans.

AddedAmong the priorities, the involvement of the whole European business sector through intermodal connections will be crucial, as well as the involvement of local and regional authorities through a structured dialogue with the European coordinators.

AddedFinally, in the light of the recent dramatic events in Ukraine, the rapporteur considers that is it essential for the trans-European transport network to be adapted in order to allow the Union to strengthen its objectives also in terms of military and food security. It is therefore crucial to channel specific investments towards strategic infrastructure segments and to include strategic agri-food production centres within an efficient network.

AddedAMENDMENTS

AddedThe Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection calls on the Committee on Transport and Tourism, as the committee responsible, to take into account the following amendments:

AddedRecital 4: (4) The realisation of the trans-European transport network creates the enabling conditions in terms of infrastructure basis allowing to make all transport modes more sustainable, accessible, affordable and inclusive, to make sustainable alternatives widely available in a multimodal transport system and to put in place the right incentives to drive the transition, notably by ensuring a fair transition, in line with the objectives presented in the Council Recommendation (EU) […] of […] on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality.

AddedRecital 5: (5) The planning, development and operation of the trans-European transport network should enable sustainable forms of transport, provide for improved multimodal and interoperable transport solutions and for an enhanced intermodal integration of the entire production chain and the entire logistic chain, thereby contributing to a smooth functioning of the internal market by creating the arteries that are necessary for smooth passenger and freight transport flows across the Union. In addition, the network should aim at strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion by ensuring accessibility and connectivity for all regions of the Union, including a better connectivity of the outermost regions and other remote, rural, insular, peripheral and mountainous regions as well as sparsely populated areas. The development of the trans-European transport network should also enable seamless, safe and sustainable mobility of goods and persons in all their diversity, including persons with disabilities or reduced mobility, and should contribute to further passenger rights and price transparency, as well as economic growth and competitiveness in a global perspective, by establishing interconnections and interoperability between national transport networks in a resource-efficient and sustainable way for the benefit of the passenger.

AddedRecital 8 a (new): (8a) Active mode infrastructures avoid disproportionate disruptions and disconnections to short distance paths, alleviate congestion on the road and rail network and lead to the removal of existing barriers. Active mode infrastructures also contribute to the Union's climate goals, improve public health and provide economic benefits. The planning of new infrastructure, as well as the maintenance and upgrading works in respect of the older infrastructures of the trans-European transport network, should therefore take into consideration active mode infrastructures, including walking and cycling infrastructures.

AddedRecital 10: (10) In order to achieve a high-quality and efficient transport infrastructure across all modes, the development, maintenance and upgrading of the trans-European transport network should take into account the security and safety of passengers and freight movements, the contribution to climate change and the impact of climate change and of potential natural hazards and human-made disasters on infrastructure and accessibility for all transport users, especially in regions that are particularly affected by the negative impacts of climate change.

AddedRecital 10 a (new): (10a) Member States should develop strategies, in consultation with local authorities and businesses, on the infrastructural, logistical and transportation needs of smaller production centres, in order to ensure coherence and synergies between the trans-European transport network infrastructures and internal areas with smaller centres of production that are not covered by the trans-European transport network.

AddedRecital 10 b (new): (10b) In the development of the trans-European transport network, special attention should be given to ensure that access to the market is guaranteed to SMEs.

AddedRecital 10 c (new): (10c) As signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Union and all Member States are legally obliged to ensure that persons with disabilities have access, on a equal basis with others, to transport and the built environment. The Commission has included the revision of the TEN-T Guidelines in its list of actions of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030. Finally, with its Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, the EU has committed to "making mobility fair and just for all", including by improving accessibility for passengers with disabilities. The rights of persons with disabilities should therefore be fully integrated in the revision of the TEN-T Guidelines.

AddedRecital 16: (16) The interests of regional and local authorities, as well as those of the public concerned by a project of common interest, as well as those of businesses and SMEs, should be appropriately taken into account in the planning and construction phase of projects.

AddedRecital 17: (17) The definition of the trans-European transport network should be based on a common and transparent methodology and should represent the highest level of infrastructure planning within the Union. It should be multimodal, that is to say it should include all transport modes and their connections as well as relevant traffic and travel information management systems, and it should offer all transport users a high level of accessibility to networks.

AddedRecital 18: (18) The trans-European transport network should be gradually developed in three steps with the overall aim to realise a multimodal and interoperable European wide network of high quality standards, while ensuring the smooth functioning of the internal market and respecting the overall Union climate neutrality and environmental objectives: the completion of a core network by 2030, of an extended core network by 2040 and of the comprehensive network by 2050.

AddedRecital 21: (21) The comprehensive network should be sufficiently equipped with alternative fuels infrastructures that are accessible to users in order to ensure that it effectively supports the transition to zero-emission mobility, in line with the milestones set in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy and taking into consideration the needs of consumers and businesses, in particular SMEs.

AddedRecital 24: (24) The core network with a deadline of 2030 and the extended core network with a deadline of 2040 should constitute the foundation of the sustainable multimodal transport network, representing the strategically most important nodes and links of the trans-European transport network, according to traffic needs. They should stimulate the development of the entire comprehensive network and enable Union action to concentrate on those components of the trans-European transport network with the highest European added value, in particular cross-border sections, missing links, multimodal connecting points, freight terminals and major bottlenecks.

AddedRecital 24 a (new): (24a) The cross-border use of the European Modular System could contribute to improving the efficiency and environmental impact of the road freight transport and to ensuring that Union's sustainability and emission objective are reached.

AddedRecital 26: (26) Exemptions from the infrastructure requirements applicable to the core, extended core and comprehensive network should be possible only in duly justified cases and subject to certain conditions. This should include cases where investment cannot be justified, or where there are specific geographic or significant physical constraints, for example in outermost regions and other remote, insular, peripheral and mountainous regions or in sparsely populated areas, or for isolated or partially isolated networks. In the case of sparsely populated areas, exemptions should only be applicable to infrastructures that are situated in areas of origin or destination, and not to infrastructures that are crucial transit points.

AddedRecital 26 a (new): (26a) Such exemptions should in no way hamper the rights of accessibility of all transport users to the networks in peripheral areas, and should not undermine services which are vital for business, including SMEs, in urban and industrial areas of big economic importance.

AddedRecital 32: (32) In order to establish the trans-European transport network in a coordinated and timely manner, thereby making it possible to maximise network effects, Member States concerned should ensure that appropriate measures are taken to finalise the projects of common interest of the core, the extended core and the comprehensive network by the given deadlines 2030, 2040 and 2050 respectively. To this end, Member States should ensure that there is coherence of the national transport and investment plans with the priorities set out in this Regulation and in the work plans of the European Coordinators. Member States should also make sure that the goals of the national recovery and resilience plans, as well as other national investment plans, complement the objectives of the trans-European transport network.

AddedRecital 34: (34) Projects of common interest to develop the trans-European transport network in line with the requirements set out in this Regulation have European added value, as they contribute to a high-quality, interoperable and multimodal European network, strenghtening the functioning of the internal market, increasing its sustainability, accessibility, cohesion and efficiency, as well as user benefits. The European added value is higher if it leads, in addition to the potential value for the respective Member State alone, to significant improvements of transport connections or transport flows between Member States or between a Member State and a third country. Such cross-border projects should be the subject of priority intervention by the Union in order to ensure that they are implemented.

AddedRecital 35: (35) Member States and other project promoters should ensure that assessments of projects of common interest are carried out efficiently, avoiding unnecessary delays. Those assessments should also take into account the accessibility needs of all users. Moreover, indicators of the benefits expected to accrue for businesses of all sizes, including SMEs, and for passengers should also be taken into consideration when assessing projects of common interests.

AddedRecital 36: (36) Projects of common interest for which Union funding is sought should be the subject of a socio-economic cost-benefit analysis based on a recognised methodology, taking into account the relevant social, economic, climate-related and environmental benefits and costs as well as the life-cycle approach and the degree of accessibility available to all transport users from the early stages of the projects. The analysis of climate-related and environmental costs and benefits should be based on the environmental impact assessment carried out pursuant to Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council21 .

AddedRecital 38: (38) Cooperation with third countries, including neighbouring countries, is necessary in order to ensure connection and interoperability between the infrastructure networks of the Union and those countries, in addition to continuous and high-standard accessibility along the networks in such countries. In view of this, where appropriate, the Union should promote projects of common interest with those countries, assessing and ensuring that the objectives and requirements of the trans-European transport network are complied with in order to ensure the interoperability of the Union network.

AddedRecital 39: (39) To achieve transformation of the transport sector into a truly multimodal system of sustainable and smart mobility services, the Union should build a high quality transport network with rail services meeting minimum line speed. Competitive passenger rail has a high potential for the decarbonisation of transport. Taking into account the ambitious targets set by the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy in terms of high-speed network, this Regulation should focus inter alia on ensuring rail high-speed connectivity between capitals and major cities in the European Union through the development of a coherent and interoperable European high speed rail network linking its capitals and major cities. Complementing existing high-speed lines with passenger lines at a minimum line speed of 160 km/h should in return lead to network effects, a more coherent network and an increased number of passengers travelling by rail. The completion of a high-performance network will also facilitate the development and introduction of new or different models of capacity allocation, for example interval-service timetables enabled by the Timetable Redesign (TTR) initiative.

AddedRecital 39 a (new): (39a) In order to achieve such objectives, accessibility of rail services should be increased for passengers, including for persons with disabilities or reduced mobility. Passengers should have a seamless user experience when searching, selecting and buying their railway services. Therefore, sector-based solutions that aim to create a common European platform for the emission of tickets in a multimodal way should be supported. That platform should provide passengers with clear and complete information on their travels, as well as a single ticket for their cross-border trips valid across all Member States.

AddedRecital 40: (40) Combined transport solutions play a decisive role in creating favourable conditions that result in economic benefits for businesses and SMEs. They should therefore be considered to be at the core of the Union transport and infrastructure projects of common interest. A more sustainable, resilient and reliable rail freight network across Europe should be established to contribute to the competitiveness of combined transport. In that context, special attention should be given to perishable goods, including food, when strengthening the rail freight network to contribute to the Union's food security objectives. The infrastructure for combined railway transport and of terminals should be upgraded to ensure that intermodal transport is primarily done by rail, inland waterways or short-sea shipping and that any initial and/or final legs carried out by road are as short as possible. In order to ensure that combined transport solutions are put into operation effectively, the economic benefits connected to the intermodal terminals should, where possible, be quantified by the public authorities, in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders, in order to assess the strategic value of the terminals and to plan adequate investments.

AddedRecital 42: (42) ERTMS should be deployed in a continuous and synchronised manner not only on the core network, extended core network and comprehensive network, including in the urban nodes, but also on access routes to multimodal terminals. This will enable operations with ERTMS only and boost the business case of railway undertakings.

AddedRecital 44 a (new): (44a) Given the importance of the deployment of ERTMS to ensure equal and increased access to the traffic routes to all rail freight transport businesses, it is vital that Member States and Union Institutions devote great financial efforts to ensuring an accelerated deployment of ERTMS radio based system across the whole rail transport network, along with the retrofitting of all types of rolling stock.

AddedRecital 49: (49) The trans-European transport network should ensure efficient multimodality in order to allow better and more sustainable modal choices to be made for passengers and freight and in order to enable large volumes to be consolidated for transfers over long distances. Multimodal terminals should play a key role to meet this objective. Moreover, their economic relevance to the operations of businesses, including SMEs, and hauliers in connection with the related road and rail stretches, other than urban nodes and areas of high economic importance in central and industrial peripheral areas, should be properly assessed in order to foster greater public and private investment in multimodal terminals and combined transport operations. The design and construction of transport infrastructure should comply with the relevant requirements laid down in Union law and national law.

AddedRecital 49 a (new): (49a) When defining their investment strategy for multimodal terminals and combined operations, the authorities and the stakeholders involved should also take due account of the costs of the operations in the terminal which are borne by the carriers and by the terminal owners, with the aim of assessing the requirements of such terminals in terms of innovation, technological upgrades and capacity potential, as well as the related expected impact of innovation investments and public financing on the operations of the transport operators involved.

AddedRecital 50: (50) Urban nodes play an important role on the trans-European transport network as starting point or final destination ("last mile") for passengers and freight moving on the trans-European transport network and are points of transfer within or between different transport modes. It should be ensured that capacity bottlenecks, in particular for alternative fuels and recharging infrastructures, and an insufficient network connectivity within urban nodes do no longer hamper multimodality and combined transport solutions along the whole trans-European transport network.

AddedRecital 51: (51) As an effective single framework for tackling urban mobility challenges, urban nodes should develop a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP), which is a long-term, all-encompassing integrated freight and passenger mobility plan for the entire functional urban area22. It should include objectives, targets and indicators underpinning the current and future performance of the urban transport system, at minimum, on greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, accidents and injuries, modal share and access to mobility services, as well as data on air and noise pollution in cities. The SUMPs and the data should be published, in accordance with a participatory approach, to allow proper scrutiny by civil society, citizens and economic actors.

AddedRecital 51 a (new): (51a) The SUMP instruments should also include strategic indicators assessing the economic relevance of multimodal terminals and combined transport solutions to the interests of transport operators, hauliers, businesses and SMEs with the aim of fostering sustainable investments and strategic planning across urban and peripheral areas of high economic importance for the local communities.

AddedRecital 52: (52) Member States should establish a national SUMP support programme aimed at promoting the uptake of SUMPs and improving coordination among regions, cities and towns, as well as among business organisations, SMEs networks and transport companies. It should support regions and urban areas to develop high-quality SUMPs and reinforce monitoring and evaluation of the SUMP implementation through legislative measures, guidance, capacity building, assistance and possibly financial support.

AddedRecital 54: (54) Multimodal digital mobility services help to enhance the integration of the different transport modes by combining several transport offers into one. Their further development should contribute to nudge behaviours towards the most sustainable modes and connectivity solutions, public transport and active modes such as walking and cycling.

AddedRecital 55: (55) Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems for transport are necessary in order to provide the basis for optimising traffic and transport operations and traffic safety and improving related services, including the access to networks for citizens and businesses. Information flows in the transport and mobility network should be facilitated, including through the deployment of the Union Mobility Data Space. Information to passengers, including information on ticketing, multimodal connections and reservation systems, should be available.

AddedRecital 57: (57) Adequate planning of the trans-European transport network is required. This also entails the implementation of specific requirements throughout the network in terms of infrastructure, ICT systems, equipment and services, including the requirements for the alternative fuel infrastructure rollout as defined in Regulation (EU) […] of the European Parliament and of the Council [on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure]23 . It is therefore necessary to ensure adequate and concerted deployment of such requirements across Europe for each transport mode and for their interconnection across the trans-European transport network and beyond, in order to obtain the benefits of the network effect and to make efficient long-range trans-European transport operations possible. In order to ensure the deployment of publicly accessible alternative fuels and recharging infrastructures across the entire road network of the trans-European transport network in line with the targets set in Regulation (EU) […] [on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure], references to ‘core network’ in Regulation (EU) […] [on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure] should be construed as references to ‘core network’ as defined in this Regulation. References to ‘comprehensive network’ in Regulation (EU) […] [on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure] should be construed as references to ‘extended core network’ and ‘comprehensive network’ as defined in this Regulatio…

AddedRecital 58: (58) The trans-European transport network should provide the basis for the large-scale deployment of new technologies and innovation, such as 5G infrastructure, which can help enhance the overall efficiency of the European transport sector and capacity to enable secure passenger flows using efficient means, make public or greener transport means more accessible and more attractive for passengers, and reduce its carbon footprint. This will contribute towards the objectives of the European Green Deal and at the same time contribute to the objective of increasing energy security for the Union. In order to achieve those objectives, the availability of alternative fuels and related infrastructure should be improved throughout the trans-European transport network.

AddedRecital 62: (62) Taking stock of the experience with regard to the crisis management during the Covid-19 pandemic25 and in order to avoid traffic disruptions and contingencies in future, Member States should take into account the security and resilience of the transport infrastructure to climate change, natural hazards, human-made disasters and other disruptions affecting the functioning and the accessibility of the Union transport system, when planning infrastructure. To that end, a permanent and automatic mechanism for activating "Green Lanes" should be established along internal borders of the Trans-European Transport Network. Moreover, the European Transport Corridors should also include important diversionary lines which can be used in case of congestion or other problems on the principal routes. In addition, due to their multimodal nature, one mode can substitute the other in case of emergencies.

AddedRecital 63: (63) The participation of investment organisations, banks, businesses and undertakings, including those, which are owned or controlled by a natural person of a third country or an undertaking of a third country, including those, which are established in a third country, can accelerate the realisation of the trans-European transport network. However, under specific circumstances, the participation of or contribution by undertakings owned or controlled by a natural person of a third country or an undertaking of a third country to projects of common interest might compromise security and public order in the EU. Without prejudice and in addition to the cooperation mechanism pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/45226 , greater awareness of such participation or contribution is necessary to allow intervention of public authorities if it appears that they are likely to affect security or public order in the Union and the participation or contribution does not fall under the scope of Regulation (EU) 2019/452.

AddedRecital 64: (64) While maintenance is and will remain the main responsibility of the Member States, the Commission should define a precise strategy in cooperation with them in order to ensure, through concrete commitments, that the trans-European transport network – once built – is properly maintained and that it guarantees a high quality of services, safety and security standards, as well as accessibility, over the years. A life cycle approach should be followed when planning and procuring infrastructure projects.

AddedRecital 67 a (new): (67a) European Coordinators play a crucial role in ensuring that the infrastructure development of the trans-European transport network is carried out in an effective and efficient way by establishing a structured dialogue with regional and local authorities and all stakeholders involved.

AddedRecital 67 b (new): (67b) In the context of this structured dialogue, and in the absence of viable logistical and modal alternatives, the European Commission should take measures to deter Member States from engaging in unilateral cross border restrictions along the network and in particular at the central nodes, to avoid hindering cross-border transit of persons, services or goods.

AddedRecital 71: (71) Taking into account the Union Action Plan on Military Mobility of March 201827 the Commission should assess the need to adapt the trans-European transport network to enhance strategic infrastructure segments to support their military and dual use. Based on the gap analysis between the trans-European transport network and the military requirements28 additional roads and railways should be included in the trans-European network to enhance the synergies between civilian and military transport networks.

AddedRecital 71 a (new): (71a) Since a smooth functioning of the internal market is crucial to ensuring food security and food safety within the Union, and in the light of the Commission Communication of March 2022 on Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems1a, the Commission should, when necessary, update the trans-European transport network to include major sites of agri-food production, paying special attention to the transportation needs of certain fresh and perishable products. / 1a Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems (COM(2022)133 final).

AddedRecital 71 b (new): (71b) The lack of a southern European Transport Corridor connecting the east and west sides of the Mediterranean sea could undermine the objectives of this Regulation and should therefore be addressed in the context of the review for which it provides.

AddedRecital 71 c (new): (71c) The extended and enhanced infrastructure requirements for transport set out in this Regulation require proportionate and sufficient investments and therefore for transport businesses to make proper investment plans by 2050. The short timeframe of the current multiannual financial framework (2021-2027), including the foreseen end of the Connecting Europe Facility in 2027, could hamper the planning of investments, especially for the rail sector. Therefore, further generations of Connecting Europe Facility programmes should be envisaged to address those needs.

AddedRecital 72: (72) In order to maximise consistency between the guidelines and the programming of the relevant financial instruments available at Union level, trans-European transport network funding should comply with this Regulation and be based, in particular, on Regulation (EU) No 2021/1153 of the European Parliament and of the Council29. In addition, taking into account the considerable costs for the completion of the transport-European network, funding should also build on co-funding and co-financing through instruments provided under other Union law, including InvestEU, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, Cohesion Policy, European Regional Development Fund, Horizon Europe and other financing instruments established by the European Investment Bank. To enable the financing of projects of common interest, references to ‘multimodal logistics platforms’, ‘motorways of the sea’ and ‘telematic applications’ in Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 should be respectively construed as references to ‘multimodal freight terminals’, ‘European Maritime Space’ and ‘ICT systems for transport’ as defined in this Regulation. For the same purpose, references to ‘core network’ in Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 should be construed as including ‘extended core network’ as defined in this Regulation.

AddedRecital 73: (73) The achievement of the objectives of the trans-European transport network, in particular with regard to the decarbonisation and digitalisation of the transport system in the Union, requires a robust regulatory framework. Ambitious reforms should be implemented by Member States to address the challenges of sustainable transport as identified in the European Semester. The Recovery and Resilience Facility supports both reforms and investments to make transport more sustainable, reduce emissions, improve safety and efficiency. Relevant measures to that effect are included in approved Recovery and Resilience Plans. In light of that, the Commission should ensure adequate alignments between the trans-European transport network and national investment projects, in order to guarantee a complete integration and alignment of investments carried out with EU funding and national funding, such as national recovery and resilience plans.

AddedArticle 3 – paragraph 1 – point o: (o) ‘sustainable urban mobility plan’ (SUMP) means a document for strategic mobility planning, aiming at improving accessibility to and mobility within the functional urban area (including commuting zones) and peripheral industrial centres) for people, businesses and goods;

AddedArticle 3 – paragraph 1 – point p a (new): (pa) 'costs of the operations in the terminal' means the costs borne by the transport operators at the terminal incurred in order to carry out such operations;

AddedArticle 3 – paragraph 1 – point z: (z) ‘maritime port’ means an area of land and water made up of such infrastructure and equipment so as to permit, principally, the reception of waterborne vessels, their loading and unloading, the storage of goods, the receipt and delivery or further transmission of those goods and the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, crew and other persons and any other infrastructure necessary for transport operators within the port area;

AddedArticle 4 – paragraph 2 – introductory part: 2. The trans-European transport network shall strengthen the social, economic and territorial cohesion of the Union and contribute to the strengthening of the internal market through the creation of a single European transport area which is sustainable, efficient digitalised and resilient and which increases the benefits for all its users, including increased accessibility, and supports inclusive growth. It shall demonstrate European added value by contributing to the objectives laid down in the following four categories:

AddedArticle 4 – paragraph 2 – point a – point ii: (ii) enabling greater use of more sustainable modes of transport, including by, but not limited to, further developing a long-distance rail passenger network at high speed and a fully interoperable rail freight network, a reliable inland waterway and short-sea shipping network across the Union;