NoC14/24 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 20.1.92
OpinionontheCommissionCommunication on:'TowardsTrans-European networks—For
aCommunityactionprogramme'
(92/C14/11)
On27March1991,theCommissiondecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunityonthe
Communication entitled:TowardsTrans-European Networks—ForaCommunityAction
Programme .
TheSub-Committee onTrans-European Networks,whichwassetupunderArticle17ofthe
RulesofProcedureinordertopreparetheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adoptedadraft
CommitteeOpinionon9September1991.TheRapporteurwasMrVascoCal.
Atits290thplenarysession(meetingof30October1991),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionbyalargemajoritywith9abstentions .
1.Introduction fromthefactthatinthepastnetworksweresetupat
nationallevelandlinkedupafterwards.
1.3.1.Inmanycasestheconsequencesofthepolicies
thenbeingpursuedcouldnotbeanticipated (traffic
saturation,environmental problems,declineininfra­
structureinvestment).
1.3.2.Differenttechnicalstandards,regulatory
frameworksandtariffprocedures,togetherwithmiss­
inglinks,bottlenecksandstretchesofnetworknotyet
constructed,allcurrentlymakeitdifficulttooperate
genuinelytrans-European networks.1.1.Theneedtoestablishanddeveloptrans-Euro­
peannetworksisbecomingmoreandmoreevidentas
measurestocompletetheSingleMarketprogress,intra­
Communitytradeincreases,economicfactorsbecome
moremobile,andaseconomicoperatorstakestepsin
anticipationoftheeffectsofthefreemovementof
people,goodsandservicesscheduledfor1993.
1.2.TheEuropeanCouncillaunchedtheglobal
appraochtothematterinDecember1989anditwas
thesubjectofaCouncilResolutionissuedon22January
1990whichinvitedtheCommission 'tosubmit...awork
programmeandproposalsforappropriatemeasures'.1.4.TheroleoftheEuropeanCommunityiscrucial
toaglobal,integratedapproachtotrans-European
networks,sothatwecanframeastrategytailoredto
thenewgeographical ,economicandenvironmental
dimensions .Wemustadvancebeyondthepresentstage,
wheresomesectorslieoutsideCommunityjurisdiction
orarelefttoco-operationbetweenMemberStates.
1.4.1.Thecompletionoftheinternalmarket,the
establishmentoftheEC-EuropeanFreeTradeAssoci­
ation(EFTA)EuropeanEconomicArea,andrelations
withthecountriesofEasternEurope,allbringaneed
torethinktheoperationofexistingnetworksandto
devisenewapproachestoinvestment.Theaimmust
betomodernizeEuropeaninfrastructure ,useitmore
efficiently,renewplant,andimproveworkingcon­
ditionsandvocationaltrainingprovision.1.2.1.TheCommissionpublishedaProgressReport
inAugust1990andaCommunication onanAction
ProgrammeinDecemberofthesameyear,following
extensiveconsultations withbusinessandMemberState
representatives .
1.2.2.ThedraftResolutioncurrentlybeingdiscussed
bythe'InternalMarket'CouncilofMinisters,and
theproposednewchapterontrans-European networks
beingdebatedattheInter-Governmental Conference
onPoliticalUnion,bothacknowledgethefactthatsuch
networksarenecessaryforachievinganareawithout
internalfrontiers,particularlyinthetransport,telecom­
munications,energyandvocationaltrainingsectors.2.Generalcomments
2.1.Theareascoveredbytrans-European networks
shouldbedeterminedonthebasisofobjectiveinfor­
mation,inascomprehensive amanneraspossible, 1.3.Theshortcomingsofexistingnetworksstem

20.1.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC14/25
withoutexcludinganysectorsnecessarytocompletion
oftheinternalmarket,andbearinginmindtheneed
tolinkuptheoutlyingregionsoftheCommunitywith
themorecentralregions.whichdonotyethavethese,soastoensurethatall
MemberStatesarelinkedtotherestoftheEuropean
network,toimprovethesafetyandreliabilityofthe
network,andtodiversifyoutsidesupplysources(USSR,
Norway,theMaghrebnations).
2.1.2.2.TheCommission shouldalsoconsiderthe
caseforcontributingtothecreation,interconnection
anddevelopmentofnationalandtrans-European water
networks(rivers,canals,aqueducts)foruseinindustry,
agricultureandpopulationcentres.
2.1.3.Inthetelecommunications sector,trans-Euro­
peanelectronicdatatransmissionsystemsneedtobe
setuptosecurea)interconnection betweenexisting
nationalsystemsandb)technical,administrative and
commercialinteroperability betweenthesesystems,
withthedraftingofstandardsandconditionsforthe
futurebroadbandtelecommunications networkandthe
integratedservicesdigitalnetwork.2.1.1.Inthetransportsectorthefollowingshould
beincluded :
—aCommunitymotorwaynetwork,currentlybeing
studiedbytheCommitteeoninfrastructure (this
meanstakingaccountofroadnetworksofCom­
munityinterest),
—high-speedraillinks:keylink-upsforstudyhave
alreadybeenidentified(notforgettingthetransport
ofgoodsbyrail),
—theEuropeancombinedtransportnetwork,byrail,
road,seaandinlandwaterway,
—theseaandcoastalshippingnetwork,including
portsandportinfrastructures (takingaccountof
theirimportancefortheCommunity'sislandsand
outlyingregions),
—theEuropeannetworkofair-links,includingair
trafficcontrol,airportinfrastructures andthelink­
uptorailandroadnetworks,
—thesystemofpipelines.2.1.3.1.Prioritymustbegiventotheestablishment
oftelematicnetworks,linkingnationaladministrations
andtheCommission ,inallareasaffectedbytheelimin­
ationofinternalborderchecks.Stepsmustalsobetaken
toensurethatthenecessarystatisticsarecompatible.
2.1.4.Forvocationaltraining,networksmustbeset
uptointerconnectMemberStates'traininginstitutions
toallowtheexchangeoftrainingprogrammes,worker
mobility,thecreationofdatabanksconcerningtraining
coursestofacilitaterecognitionofprofessionalqualifi­
cationsandenabletrainingcompaniestocommunicate
partnershiprequests,andlastly,complementarity of
trainingmeasures.Lessexperiencedinstitutescanthus
benefitfromtheknow-howbuiltupatCommunity
level.2.1.1.1.Stillinthetransportsectorthereisalsoa
needtodeveloppan-European standardswithspecifi­
cationsforcontainers,pallets,lorryweights,roadqual­
ityandcapacity,railloadinggauges,safety,environ­
mentalimpact,andtheeffectoftransportarchitecture
onthelandscape.Newinformationtechnologiesshould
alsobeusedtoimprovetrafficmanagement .
2.1.1.2.Analysisofthetransportsectorshouldtake
accountofallmodesoftransportonthebasisofa
multi-modal ,integratedapproach,sothatadvantage
canbetakenoftheresultingsynergies.2.1.4.1.Linkageofvocationaltrainingnetworks,the
setting-upofanaudio/videolibraryofthematerial
producedbytrainingstaffconcerningtheimpactofthe
internalmarketinthedifferentregions,andinterlinkage
withtheBC-Net(*)andEuroInformationCentres,will
allimprovevocationaltrainingprospectsandhelptailor
themmorecloselytorequirements .2.1.2.Intheelectricitysector,moresecuresupplies,
optimumuseofproductioncapacityandmorerational­
izedinvestmentinproductionstructuresareallobjec­
tivesrequiringa)developmentofEurope-wideelec­
tricitygridsandb)measurestoovercomeproblems
causedbyincompatiblestandardsandtechniques;this
shouldencouragemoreflexiblenetworkloadmanage­
ment.2.1.4.2.Vocationaltrainingisavitalpartoftrans­
Europeannetworks.
2.1.2.1.Inthenaturalgassector,helpisneededto
setupnationalgridsinMemberStatesandregions (*)BC-Net:BusinessCooperationNetwork.

NoC14/26 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 20.1.92
2.2.Inthepastfewyears,Communityfundinghas
focusedonsupportforinfrastructureinvestmentand
programmesofCommunityinterest;thishashada
directimpactonsomenetworksbuttheeffectshave
beenlimitedbecausemeasureshavehadtocoveralarge
numberofprojectsandhavehadrelativelymodest
funding.2.2.5.1.Theseprocedureswillsignificantlyalterthe
currentdecision-makingandconsultationprocess
withineachMemberState;theywillonlybesuccessful
andrelevanttoactualcircumstances iftheCommunity­
wideconsultationprocessismoreopenandtransparent
andifthereismorewidespreadinvolvementatalllevels
(local,regional,nationalandEC).Stepsmustalsobe
takentoensurethatcompletionschedulesarerespected,
sothattheoverallcoherenceofthenetworksisnot
jeopardizedbydelaysincertainpartsofthem.
2.2.1.Aglobal,integratedandmulti-modal
approachisrequired,withpropertermsofreference.
Investmentriskswillthusbereduced;Community ,
nationalandregionalmeasureswillbemoreeffective;
anddueaccountcanbetakenoflong-termneeds.2.2.5.2.Socio-economic groupingsarethefirstto
recognizethatcoordination andcompatibility at
'higher'levelsmeangreaterefficiency;thisdoesnot
detractfromthefactthatresponsibilityforimplemen­
tationofmeasuresshouldremainatthelevelwhich
offersthebestbalancebetweencostsandbenefits,and
whichcanbestensurethataccountistakenofthe
interestsofeachregion.2.2.2.TheCommission'sproposaltodrawupblue­
printsfortrans-European networksinconjunctionwith
interestedpartiesisafirststeptowardsavoidingthe
costsincurredbecauseofthefailuretoconsidercom­
patibilityandinterconnection problemsrightfromthe
designstage.2.3.Alloperatorsandusersoftrans-European net­
worksareconsciousoftheneedtoacceleratetechnical
harmonization andstandardization processes.
2.2.2.1.Communityfundingoffeasibilityand
environmental impactstudiesforclearlydefinedpro­
jectscouldbedecisiveinhelpingless-developed regions
toovercomebudgetaryconstraintsandinidentifying
projectsofEuropeaninterest.2.3.1.Advancementoftheprogrammesisimpeded
byacombinationofbudgetaryconstraints,drafting
proceduresforstandardswhich,althoughvoluntary,
requireaconstantsearchforconsensus,andtheperma­
nentantagonismbetweeninnovationandstandardiz­
ation(particularlyinthetechnologically mostadvanced
sectors).
2.2.3.Thepossibilityofdeclaringprojectstobeof
Europeaninterest(asalreadydonefortransportinfra­
structures)willhelpreduceuncertaintyastotheircom­
pletion,facilitateaccesstofundingandimproveadmin­
istrativecoordinationoftheirimplementation .2.3.2.Thereisaneedtosecurenetworkinter-opera­
bilityandtoensurethatcompatibilityproblemsare
addressedatthedesignstageofnewprojects,taking
accountoftrendsandstandardsapplyinginother
regionsoftheworld.ThesefactorswarrantmoreCom­
munityinterventioninthissphere,withoutdetracting
fromthedirectresponsibilities oftheoperators.
2.2.4.Toensurethattrans-European networksare
properlythoughtout,usingexperiencebuiltupat
nationallevel,atrans-European system/networkshould
besetupcomprisingresearchinstitutesandcentres
involvedinforecasting,analysisandmultidisciplinary
studies,whichcouldcoordinatetheirworkifprovided
withadequateresourcesandwell-definedtermsofrefer­
ence.2.3.3.Onepointtohighlightisthatinsomecases,
networkcompatibility problemshavebeen,orare
being,solved;however,compatibilityproblemsinnet­
workswherethepublicsectorisdominanthaveproved
moreintractable .Thismeansthatifthereisapolitical
will,itispossibletospeedupmovestoachievecompati­
bilityandovercomeanyproblemscreatedbythepreva­
lenceofparticularinterests.
2.2.5.TheCommissionshouldconsulttheinterested
parties(employers'andemployees'representatives and
localandregionalauthorities)whendraftingtheblue­
printsandthedeclarationsofEuropeaninterest,i.e.
beforeanydecisionsaretaken.2.4.Inthedebateastowhetherthenetworksshould
comeunderCommunityjurisdiction,thequestionof
fundinghasbecomeakeyissue.

20.1.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC14/27
2.4.4.1.Toencouragetheparticipationofprivate
capitalinthelarge-scaleprojects,theCommunitymust
beableto(a)showthataprojectisviable,(b)demon­
stratethatitsupportsitpolitically,and(c)facilitatethe
contributionneededfromownresources.2.4.1.Mostnetworksoperateasapublicservice,
andthisisreflectedinthewaytheyhavebeenmanaged.
Budgetrestrictionsoverthepastfewyearshaveledto
sharpcutsininvestmentwhileuseoftheinfrastructures
hasincreased,wideningthegapbetweenrequirements
andcapacities.
2.4.1.1.Onsomenetworks,incomederivedfroma
'technicalmonopoly'situationhassecuredself-finan­
cingforsomeprojects,includingsomerequiredunder
thepublicserviceobligation.2.4.4.2.TheEC'scontributiontotheinitialfinancing
couldtaketheformofabudgetarycontribution ,aloan
oftheEuropeanInvestmentBank(EIB)grantedfrom
ownresources,orloanssecuredfromtheCommunity's
financialcapability.
2.4.4.3.Thedistributionofrisksamongtheparties
involvedinthesetting-upofthefundingoperations
mustnotbesuchastojeopardizetheCommunity
objectivesoftheprojectsbeingfunded.2.4.1.2.Goodmanagement isvitalforthesmooth
operationofnetworks;italsoprovidesaguaranteefor
profitabilityofnewprojects,withoutlosingsightofthe
factthatinsomecasesitiseasier,fasterandcheaper
toimprovethemanagementofcurrentnetworks(by
addingtothemandinterconnecting them)thantobuild
newnetworksparalleltoexistingones(exceptincases
ofsignificanttechnologicalimprovement).
2.4.2.Inthisconnection,thefactthattheCom­
missiondocumentreferssolelytothefinancialviability
ofprojectsisasourceofconcern.2.5.Thesumsinvolvedintheoverallfundingof
trans-European networksaresolargethattheCom­
munity'scontributionwillalwaysbesubsidiary;itwill,
however,haveanimportantroletoplayascatalyst
anditscontributionwillberelativelyhigherinthose
MemberStateswithfewerbudgetaryresources.
2.4.2.1.Infact,feasibilitystudiesshouldbecarried
outinanintegratedfashion—takingaccountofapro­
ject'scontributiontothecoherenceandcompleteness
ofthewholenetwork,itsrespectfortheenvironment
andforusersafety,itslong-termprospectsandcontri­
butiontothecompletionoftheinternalmarket,and
consideringtheoverallstructuralimpactofthenet­
worksonthesectorsinvolvedandonthebalanced
developmentoftheless-advantaged regions.2.5.1.Fundingrequirementsvaryfromnetworkto
networkandevenfromprojecttoprojectwithinthe
samenetwork.Linksbetweenmoredevelopedregions
wherethereisalreadyademandarenormallymore
profitableintheshorttermandposefewerfunding
problems.Inthelessdevelopedregions,however,
potentialshort-termprofitabilityandaccesstofunding
aremoreproblematic .
2.4.3.Althoughpublicauthoritieshavecertain
responsibilities forestablishinganddevelopingtrans­
Europeannetworks,privatefundingmustalsomakea
majorcontribution .2.5.1.1.Adistinctionmustbedrawnbetweenpro­
jectswhichcanbeself-financingandthosewhichwill
needagreaterorlesserpubliccontribution .Amongthis
secondgroup,itmustbedecidedwhichMemberStates
genuinelyneedECfinancialsupport.
2.4.3.1.Forprivatefinancesources,theuseofblue­
prints,feasibilitystudies,consultationofsocio-econ­
omicgroups,declarationofEuropeaninterestand,
possibly,jointfundingschemesinconjunctionwith
nationalandCommunitybudgets,canallhelpreduce
investmentrisk.2.5.1.2.Althoughtheyareanintegralpartofmoves
tocompletetheinternalmarket,networksmustalso
contributetothedevelopmentofperipheralregions
byimprovingaccesstocentralregionsandboosting
economicandsocialcohesion.
2.4.4.Financialengineeringshouldbeusedtocover
financingneedswhichcannotbeadequatelymetbythe
market(M.2.5.2.Aspartofthereviewofthepost-1992financial
perspective,theCommunityshouldensurethatithas
thefinancialmeansnecessarytoprovidesignificant
momentumtotheestablishmentanddevelopmentof
trans-European networks.Itisvitalthatadequatefund­
ingbemadeavailableatEClevel,andthatcloselinks
areestablishedwiththeEuropeanInvestmentBankand
privatefinanceinstitutions .Theestablishmentofafund
specificallyfortrans-European networksisthereforeof(i)SeetheCommissionpaperonFinancialEngineering [Doc.
COM(86)723finalof15December19861.

NoC14/28 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 20.1.92
crucialimportanceforimplementing projectswar­
rantingCommunitysupport.
2.5.2.1.TheCommunity'scontributionshouldbe
commensurate withitsambitionsforthenetworksand
foreconomicandsocialcohesion.
3.Specificcomments
3.1.TheCommissionCommunication containsaset
ofpriorityprojects;however,theseareonlyexamples
ofwhatneedstobedoneandthelistisnotexhaustive .
TheCommissiononlymentionsafewoftheprojects
forwhichthereissufficienttechnicalinformation .(ThelistgivesadistortedpictureofthesituationinEurope
asawhole.)
3.1.1.Theexamplesputforwardareusefulbutdo
notconstituteasufficientlycomprehensive basisfor
takingdecisions.
3.1.2.Suchdecisionsshouldbebasedonthepro­
cedureprovidedforthis:draftblueprintstobeexten­
sivelydiscussedwithinterestedparties,economic,
financialandfeasibilitystudies,anddecisionsonthe
declarationofEuropeaninterest.
3.1.3.Moreover,theroleoftheEconomicandSocial
Committeeshouldbeclearlyestablishedintheconsul­
tationprocessatCommunityInstitutionlevel.
DoneatBrussels,30October1991.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
FrancoisSTAEDELIN