2. 9. 76 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities No C 207/9 
Proposal  for a Council  Regulation  on support  for projects  of Community  interest  in 
transport  infrastructure 
(Submitted  by the Commission  to the Council  on 5 July  1976) 
THE  COUNCIL  OF THE  EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES, 
Having  regard  to the Treaty  establishing  the European 
Economic  Community,  and  in particular  Article  75 
thereof, 
Having  regard  to the proposal  from  the Commission, 
Having  regard  to the  opinion  of the  European 
Parliament, 
Having  regard  to the  opinion  of the  Economic  and 
Social  Committee, 
Whereas  the  implementation  of  the  common 
transport  policy  involves  the  establishment  of 
Community  measures  aiming  at the  coordinated 
development  of links  within  the Community; 
Whereas,  due  to national  constraints  a certain 
number  of projects  of Community  interest  having  a 
considerable  importance  for the Community  are not 
financed  by the Member  States  acting  alone; 
Whereas  it is essentially  the  responsibility  of the 
Member  States  to  finance  such  projects  of 
Community  interest;  whereas  because  of some  of 
their  specifically  Community  implications  there 
should  however  be  a procedure  by  which  the 
Community  might  grant  them  support,  in particular 
when  this  support  will  mean  that  they  are  given 
priority; 
Whereas  the  Community  should  enjoy  every  means 
which  will  enable  it to assess  the  interest  of each 
project  from  case  to case;  this  assessment  must  take 
place  as part  of the  procedure  implemented  to 
guarantee  a coordinated  development  of links  within 
the Community; 
Whereas  the  Commission  is responsible  for making 
proposals  concerning  the  allocation  of financial 
support  measures; 
Whereas  the recipients  shall  inform  the Community 
of the work's  state  of progress, 
HAS  ADOPTED  THIS  REGULATION: 
Article  1 
The Community,  under  the conditions  laid  down  in 
the following  Articles,  may  grant  its financial  support for the execution  of transport  infrastructure  projects 
of Community  interest  referred  to in Article  1 of 
the Council  Decision  establishing  a consultation  pro-
cedure  and  creating  a committee  for  transport 
infrastructure. 
The aim  looked  for is to give  selective  assistance  for 
the undertaking  of a limited  number  of important 
projects. 
The projects  likely  to be financed  fall particularly  in 
the following  groups: 
— projects  to be undertaken  in the  territory  of a 
Member  State  the  failure  of which  to  be 
undertaken  creates  a bottleneck  in Community 
traffic, 
— cross-frontier  projects  which  are  not  sufficiently 
viable  to pass  the  threshold,  based  on available 
resources,  where  a Member  State  would  be 
willing  to intervene, 
— projects  having  a socio-economic  profitability  at 
the national  level  which  is insufficient  to justify 
their  undertaking  but from  the Community  point 
of view,  taking  account  of the  Community's 
objectives,  have  a greater  benefit, 
— projects  which  facilitate  the  standardization  of 
equipment  and  the  synchronization  of work  on 
the Community  communications  network. 
Article  2 
Aid given  to a project  can  take  the  form  of a 
Community  participation  in the finance  of a project 
by the  granting  of the  following  advantages:  loan 
guarantees;  loans;  subsidies;  interest  rate  reductions; 
taking  account  of the other  financial  interventions  of 
a Community  nature  which  the project  might  benefit 
from. 
Article  3 
Any project  of Community  interest  for  which  the 
financial  support  referred  to in Article  1 is requested 
must  be submitted  in advance  for  the  consultation 
referred  to in Article  3 of the Council  Decision  of ... 
establishing  a consultation  procedure  and  creating  a 
committee  for transport  infrastructure. 
No C 207/10 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities 2. 9. 76 
Article  4 
The request  for financial  support  shall  be forwarded 
to the Commission  by the Member  State  or Member 
States  on whose  territory  the project  is to be carried 
out. 
It shall  include  the  necessary  assessment  factors,  in 
particular: 
— the  assessment  of the expenditure  forecast,  broken 
down  into  the various  items, 
— an estimated  schedule  of work  and  financial 
commitments, 
— a cost-benefit  study. 
The Commission  may  ask the Member  States  for any 
additional  information  which  is may  consider 
necessary  for assessing  the project. 
Article  5 
1. TKe  Commission  shall  consult  the  Member 
States  on the request  for financial  support  forwarded 
to it. This  consultation  shall  take  place  within  the 
Committee  established  in accordance  with  Article  4 
of the  Council  Decision  establishing  a consultation 
procedure  and  creating  a committee  for  transport 
infrastructure. 
2. The  Commission  will  prepare  a report  with  a 
justified  opinion  including  notably: 
(a) the  possible  allocation  of the aids  figuring  under 
Article  2 of this  Regulation; (b) the  obligations  towards  the Community  that  the 
beneficiary  has to agree  to. 
3. This  report  and  the justified  opinion  are to be 
forwarded  to the Council  and  the Parliament  annexed 
to the general  introduction  to the draft  budget  of the 
European  Communities,  which  will  include,  in the 
section  dealing  with  the  expenditure  of  the 
Commission,  a special  chapter  intended  to bring 
together  all the  credits  for the financial  support  of 
projects  mentioned  in Article  1. 
Article  6 
The party  or parties  responsible  for carrying  out  a 
project  receiving  financial  support  in accordance  with 
this Community  Regulation  shall  forward  to the 
Commission,  at the  Commission's  request,  a report 
on the state  of progress  of the work  on this  project 
and on  the  expenditure  allocated  to  its 
accomplishment.  The  Commission  shall  have  access 
at all times  to the accounts  relating  to each  project. 
Article  7 
The information  received  in accordance  with  this 
Regulation  shall  be treated  in confidence. 
Article  8 
This  Regulation  shall  enter  into  force  on the  day 
following  its publication  in the  Official  Journal  of 
the European  Communities. 
This  Regulation  shall  be binding  in its entirety  and 
directly  applicable  in all Member  States.