Patrick Verhoeven
Today, the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) of the European Parliament voted on the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) guidelines and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) proposals. ESPO welcomes the fact that Members of Parliament gave their support to a TEN-T policy which has a clear European perspective.
“We are especially pleased that MEPs largely maintained the original nature of the Commission’s proposals”, said ESPO Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven, “We furthermore welcome the compromises reached on the core network corridors coordination and governance structures. They maintain the Commission’s original approach and even reinforce it. Naturally we also very much support the proposal that port authorities will participate in the corridor platforms.”
“The main downside is that the co-funding rate for the development of ports and their hinterland connections was not increased and remains at 20%. This is a pity given the crucial role that seaports play for the entire EU transport system”, added Patrick Verhoeven, “We are however grateful that MEPs acknowledged Motorways of the Sea (MoS) as a priority within the Connecting Europe Facility and that the co-funding rate for MoS is increased to 30% in line with the Council’s view. We expect that this will be translated in better port infrastructure and hinterland connections developed in connection with Motorways of the Sea.”
