WRITTEN QUESTION P-0170/98 by Bárbara Dührkop Dührkop (PSE) to the Commission (28 January 1998)

Subject: Possibility of EU co-financing for projects to build light rail transit systems in Vitoria, San Sebastian and Bilbao

The European Community promotes urban public transport in various ways. In recent years there has been a boom in the use of trams as an efficient and clean form of transport and many cities have reintroduced trams or light rail systems or are planning to do so shortly.

What aid has the European Community given to projects for trams or light rail transit systems?

Which cities have benefitted from such aid and what amounts were involved?

Is it possible that the Community will co-finance projects such as those by the Basque Government for the cities of Vitoria, San Sebastian and Bilbao?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (13 March 1998)

The Cohesion Fund finances transport infrastructure projects in Greece, Spain, Ireland and Portugal which fall within the scope of the Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network. To be eligible, projects must be on the networks identified in these guidelines or must comply with the criteria for identifying projects of common interest, such as providing interoperability between trans-European railway systems, or interconnections with networks of other modes of transport. Tram or rapid metro projects would not normally be considered for Cohesion fund assistance unless they provided important access to the trans-European networks.

In Ireland, the Cohesion fund has committed ECU 16.9 million for the extension of the 'Dublin area rapid transit', an electrified suburban rail line to the north and south of Dublin. The Spanish authorities have proposed that the Cohesion fund should cofinance a project for the extension of the Madrid metro to Barajas airport. This project is at present under consideration.

As regards the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), a detailed breakdown of this Fund's contribution to metropolitan railway infrastructure is not available because the Structural Funds contribute primarily to regional Operational Programmes, the management of which is left to the Member State concerned. The ERDF funds this type of operation mainly in Objective 1 regions. Examples are the extension of the Athens underground (completion and fitting out of two new lines), the construction of the Thessaloniki underground, the extension of the Lisbon underground (6 new lines) and part-funding for the Dublin light railway.

In the case of Objective 2 areas, public, urban and metropolitan transport operations can be part-funded only if they facilitate direct access to the economic activity of communities which, without such operations, would be isolated or disadvantaged. Financing must in any case be limited to fixed capital formation and does not include the transport vehicles or any operating costs. The ERDF can part-fund up to 30% of this type of operation.

The cities mentioned by the Honourable Member are eligible under Objective 2. The eligibility criteria described above thus apply to the light rail projects proposed by the Basque government. By way of information, measure 4.2 of the Objective 2 programme (1997-99) for the Basque country includes part-funding for line II of the Bilbao underground railway. The ERDF will contribute ECU 29.45 million out of an eligible total of ECU 98.16 million.