The Union shall also encourage undertakings, including SMEs, research centres and universities, in their research and technological development activities of high quality; it shall support their efforts to cooperate with one another, aiming, notably, at permitting researchers to cooperate freely across borders and at enabling undertakings to exploit the internal market potential to the full, in particular through […] the definition of common standards and the removal of legal and fiscal obstacles to that cooperation.

In order to achieve these objectives, the Union shall establish a series of guidelines covering the objectives, priorities and broad lines of measures envisaged in the sphere of trans-European networks (TENs).

To help achieve these objectives, and to enable citizens in the Union, economic operators and regional and local communities to derive full benefit from the setting up of an area without internal frontiers, the Union shall contribute to the establishment and development of trans-European networks in the areas of transport, telecommunications and energy infrastructures. Action by the Union shall aim at promoting the interconnection and interoperability of national networks as well as access to them.

In order to promote its overall harmonious development, the Union shall develop and pursue its actions leading to the strengthening of its economic, social and territorial cohesion.

The Union shall adopt measures with the aim of establishing or ensuring the functioning of the internal market. The internal market shall comprise an area in which the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital is ensured. The Union shall also have the objective of strengthening its scientific and technological bases by achieving a European research area in which researchers, scientific knowledge and technology circulate freely, and encouraging it to become more competitive, including in its industry.

INEA is responsible for managing the technical and financial implementation of these programmes by following the entire project lifecycle. In its day-to-day work it aims to improve the effectiveness and flexibility of implementation at a lower cost while simultaneously mobilising a high level of expertise by recruiting more specialised staff. It also works to strengthen the links with key stakeholders, improve the coordination of funds with other EU instruments, raise the profile and benefits of EU funding and provide support/feedback to the Commission.

INEA was therefore set up to manage Union action in the fields of the CEF and Horizon 2020 on the basis of the Financial Regulation and its Rules of Application, the TEN-T Regulation, the Marco Polo Regulation, the CEF Regulation, the TEN-T and TEN-E Guidelines and the Horizon 2020 Regulations, and to continue to manage the TEN-T and Marco Polo Programmes. It is now under the supervision of its parent DGs — DG MOVE, DG ENER, DG CNECT and DG RTD — which retain responsibility for the respective policy issues.

Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 empowers the Commission to establish executive agencies to carry out tasks related to Union programmes. Under the new Decision C(2013) 9235 delegating powers to INEA the Agency manages the legacy of the TEN-T and Marco Polo programmes and the three sectors of the Connecting Europe Facility (transport, energy and telecommunication) promoting growth, jobs and competitiveness through targeted infrastructure investment at European level. It also manages parts of the Horizon 2020 programme in the research areas ‘Smart, green and integrated transport’ and ‘Secure, clean and efficient energy’ to foster growth by supporting research and innovation.

European Parliament acting on a recommendation from the Council. With respect to the Agency’s implementation of its administrative budget, the discharge decision is addressed to the Director. The Commission remains accountable for the implementation of the operational budget delegated by the Commission to the Agency.

Appointed by the European Commission, the Director manages the Agency together with the Steering Committee, sets up management and internal control systems adapted to the tasks entrusted to the Agency, and prepares the reports to be presented to the Commission.

The Agency’s activities are supervised by a Steering Committee comprising five members (one from each of the parent DGs and one from DG HR) and four observers appointed by the European Commission. The Committee adopts the Agency’s organisation chart and its annual work programme after approval by the Commission, as well as the Agency’s administrative budget, annual activity report and annual accounts.

The total value of payments made by the Agency in 2014 was 606 million euro, of which 590 million euro was paid for the TEN-T Programme and 16 million euro for the completion of the Marco Polo Programme.

A total of 3 059 million euro in commitment appropriations was transferred to INEA for the management of the two Framework Programmes under the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020, namely the CEF (2 692 million euro) and Horizon 2020 (367 million euro).

Products and services 2014