WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2786/96 by Antonio TRIZZA to the Commission. Completion of the trans-European networks
Date: 1996-10-21
Institutions: European Parliament, TRIZZA
Subjects: Structural Funds, feasibility study, financial aid, support policy, trans-European network, transport infrastructure, transport network













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91996E2786

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2786/96 by Antonio TRIZZA to the Commission. Completion of the trans-European networks  


Official Journal C 083 , 14/03/1997 P. 0067 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-2786/96 by Antonio Trizza (NI) to the Commission (21 October 1996)Subject: Completion of the trans-European networksWhat steps does the Commission intend to take if, on 14 October 1996 in Luxembourg, the rejection of the request for Lit 2 000 billion to speed up completion of the trans-European networks is formally confirmed?According to reports in the specialized press, the Finance Ministers of the European Union meeting in Dublin took up position against the request, thus frustrating the efforts made by the Commission and, above all, going against the views repeatedly expressed by the European Parliament since the Essen and Corfu summits and since the beginning of the Intergovernmental Conference.Confirmation of this position would jeopardize the essential project to establish an Adriatic corridor linking northern Europe and the south, and would cause grave damage to the southern economy as a whole, and that of Puglia in particular.Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (28 November 1996)Although the Ecofin Council rejected the Commission proposal to increase the commitment ceiling for the trans-European transport networks budget line in the years 1998 and 1999, the Community is nevertheless providing substantial financial support for the trans-European transport network (TEN-T).According to the present financial perspectives, the funds from the TEN-T budget line amount to 1 800 MECU in the period 1995-1999. There are also considerable funds available through the structural funds, especially in Objective 1 regions. There is continuing and strong commitment to using these funds with maximum efficiency in order to achieve full benefit from the limited resources, including the fostering of public private partnerships. The main responsibility for financing the projects naturally remains with Member States. Clearly they stand to gain from the completion of the trans-European transport network as a whole.The so called 'Adriatic corridor' project represents an alternative route to link the central regions of the Community and Italy to Greece and the eastern part of the Mediterranean basin, avoiding the inland route through the former Yugoslavia. It integrates rail and road infrastrcture, ports, links to ports and combined transport along the Adriatic coast, from Trieste to Brindisi. In 1995 the Community provided 1 MECU to finance a feasibility study for the project, which should provide decision makers with a range of technically feasible and economically viable options for the amelioration of transport services in the corridor, with particular emphasis on improving existing infrastructure. The study will also serve to develop executive studies of required investments in order to define a scenario for further action.