Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision amending Decision No 1692/96/EC as regards seaports, inland ports and intermodal terminals as well as project No 8 in Annex III
Date: 1997-12-10
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: combined transport, harbour installation, project evaluation, trans-European network, transport network

C  120/14

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

18.4.98

II

(Preparatory  Acts)

COMMISSION

Proposal  for  a  European  Parliament  and  Council  Decision  amending  Decision  No  1692/96/EC
as  regards  seaports,  inland  ports  and  intermodal  terminals  as  well  as  project  No  8  in  Annex  III

(98/C  120/08)

(Text  with  EEA  relevance)

COM(97)  681  final  -  97/0358(COD)

(Submitted  by  the  Commission  on  4  March  1998)

THE  EUROPEAN  PARLIAMENT  AND  THE  COUNCIL
OF  THE  EUROPEAN  UNION;

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European
Community,  and  in  particular  the  first  paragraph  of
Article  129d  thereof,

Having  regard  to  the  proposal  from  the  Commission,

Having  regard  to  the  opinion  of  the  Economic  and
Social  Committee,

Having  regard  to  the  opinion  of  the  Committee  of  the
Regions,

Acting  in  accordance  with  the  procedure  laid  down  in
Article  189b  of  the  Treaty,

(1)(cid:217)Whereas  Decision  No  1692/96/EC  of  the  European
Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  23  July  1996  on
Community  guidelines  for  the  development  of  the
trans(cid:220)European  transport  network(cid:216)(˛)  constitutes  a
general  reference  framework  covering  the  objectives,
priorities  and  broad  lines  of  measures  envisaged  as
in  the
well  as  the  projects  of  common 
context  of  the  trans(cid:220)European  transport  network;

interest 

(2)(cid:217)Whereas  the  establishment  and  development  of  the
trans(cid:220)European  transport  network  contributes  to  the
the
smooth 
strengthening  of  economic  and  social  cohesion  as
well  as  to  the  sustainable  mobility  of  persons  and
goods;

internal  market, 

functioning  of 

the 

(4)(cid:217)Whereas  interconnection  points,  including  seaports,
terminals,  are  a
integration  of  the  different

inland  ports  and 
pre(cid:220)condition  for  the 
transport  modes  in  a  multimodal  network;

intermodal 

(5)(cid:217)Whereas  the  network  outline  plans  in  Annex  I  to
Decision  No  1692/96/EC  consist  essentially  of  a
series  of  links,  while  the  different  interconnection
points,  with 
the  exception  of  airports,  are  not
identified  in  the  outline  plans;

(6)(cid:217)Whereas  with  respect  to  the  principle  of  subsidiarity,
inland  ports  and
the  network  outline  plans  for 
intermodal 
terminals  should  not  designate  exact
locations;  whereas  terminals  in  larger  conurbations
should  be  grouped  in  one  transhipment  area;

(7)(cid:217)Whereas, 

in  accordance  with 

the  Commission’s
intention  to  promote  the  rapid  creation  of  a  number
of  "Trans(cid:220)European  Rail  Freight  Freeways’  outlined
in  its  Communication  of  29  May  1997(cid:216)(ˇ),  the  identi(cid:220)
fication  of  terminals/transhipment  areas  should  be
coordinated  with  the  development  of  cross(cid:220)border,
open(cid:220)access  rail  freight  corridors;

(8)(cid:217)Whereas  the  European  Council  at  Dublin  on  13  and
14  December  1996  agreed  that  project  No  8  in  the
list  from  the  Essen  European  Council  should  become
the  multimodal  link  Portugal/Spain  with  the  rest  of
Europe;

(9)(cid:217)Whereas, 

therefore,  Decision  No  1692/96/EC

should  be  amended  accordingly,

(3)(cid:217)Whereas,  in  order  to  achieve  these  objectives,  the
trans(cid:220)European  transport  network  is  intended  as  a
multimodal  infrastructure  network  which  serves  to
combine  and  integrate  the  different  transport  modes;

HAVE  ADOPTED  THIS  DECISION:

Article  1

Decision  No  1692/96/EC  is  hereby  amended  as  follows:

(˛)(cid:217)OJ  L  228,  9.9.1996,  p.  1.

(ˇ)(cid:217)COM(97)  242  final.

18.4.98

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C  120/15

1.(cid:218)(cid:217)In  Article  10(4),  the  following  indent  is  added:

"-(cid:217)contribute 

to 

the 

further  development  of  new
railway  services  in  particular  on  the  basis  of  ""Trans(cid:220)
European  Rail  Freight  Freeways’’,  which  are  cross(cid:220)
border,  open(cid:220)access  rail  freight  corridors.’

2.(cid:218)(cid:217)Article  11  is  amended  as  follows:

(a)(cid:217)paragraph  3  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"3.(cid:218)(cid:217)Inland  ports  shall  form  part  of  the  network,  in
particular  as  points  of  interconnection  between  the
waterways  referred  to  in  paragraph  2  and  Article  14
and  other  modes  of  transport.’

(b) the  following  paragraph  3a  is  inserted:

"3a.(cid:218)(cid:217)The 
shall  be:

inland  ports 

included 

in  the  network

(c) they  provide  connections  between  land  links  of  the
trans(cid:220)European  network,  thereby  ensuring  the  terri(cid:220)
torial  continuity  of  the  Community.

3.(cid:218)(cid:217)In  addition  to  the  criteria  set  out  in  Article  7,
seaport  and  seaport(cid:220)related  projects  of  common  interest
shall  comply  with  the  criteria  and  specifications 
in
Annex  II.’

4.(cid:218)(cid:217)Article  14  is  amended  as  follows:

(a)(cid:217)in  paragraph  1,  the  second  indent  is  replaced  by  the

following  text:

"-(cid:217)terminals  which 

for
provide 
intermodal  transhipment  from  railways  to  inland
waterways  and  roads  and  which  are  identified  in
the  outline  plans  in  Annex  I;’

installations 

(a)(cid:217)open  to  all  commercial  traffic,

(b) the  following  paragraphs  2  and  3  are  added:

(b) located  on  the  network  of 

inland  waterways
as  shown  in  the  outline  plan  in  Section  4  of
Annex  I,

(c) interconnected  with 

other 

trans(cid:220)European

transport  routes  as  shown  in  Annex  I,

(d) equipped  with 

transhipment 

installations 

for

intermodal  transport.’

3.(cid:218)(cid:217)Article  12  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"Article  12

1.(cid:218)(cid:217)Seaports  in  the  trans(cid:220)European  transport  network
shall  include  seaports  which  are  open  to  all  commercial
traffic  and  which  are  identified  in  the  outline  plans  in
Section  5  of  Annex  I.  They  shall  permit  the  development
of  sea  transport  and  shall  constitute  shipping  links  for
islands  and  the  points  of  interconnection  between  sea
transport  and  other  modes  of  transport.  They  shall
provide  equipment  and  services  to  transport  operators.
Their  infrastructure  shall  provide  a  range  of  services  for
passenger  and  goods  transport,  including  ferry  services
and  short(cid:220)  and  long(cid:220)distance  shipping  services,  including
coastal  shipping,  within  the  Community  and  between  the
latter  and  third  countries.

2.(cid:218)(cid:217)The  seaports  included  in  the  network  shall  fulfill
the  following  criteria:

(a)(cid:217)total  annual  traffic  volume  is  no  less  than  1  million

tonnes  freight,  or

(b) total  annual  traffic  volume  is  no  less  than  200(cid:216)000
international  passengers  (trips  between  ports  in  two
different  countries).

In  the  case  of  islands  in  the  Aegean  and  Ionian  seas,
the  minimum  required  volume  of  passenger  traffic
may  also 
include  domestic  traffic,  providing  the
distance  between  the  ports  is  greater  than  5(cid:216)km;  or

"2.(cid:217)The  terminals  included  in  the  network  shall  be:

-(cid:217)open  to  all  commercial  traffic;

-(cid:217)located  on,  or 

linked  to,  one  of  the  rail
corridors  as  specified  in  outline  plan  7.1  in
Annex  I.  Terminals 
larger  conurbations
in 
shall  be  grouped  in  one  transhipment  area;

-(cid:217)equipped  with  transhipment  installations  for

intermodal  transport.

3. In  addition  to  the  criteria  set  out  in  Article  7,
the
projects  of  common 
combined  transport  network  shall  comply  with
the  criteria  and  specifications  in  Annex  II.’

interest  relating 

to 

5.(cid:218)(cid:217)Article  19  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"Article  19

Specific  projects

Annex  III  contains,  by  way  of  indication,  the  projects
identified  in  Annexes  I  and  II  and  in  other  provisions  of
this  Decision  to  which  the  Essen  and  Dublin  European
Councils  attributed  particular  importance.’

6.(cid:218)(cid:217)Annexes  I,  II  and  III  are  amended  as  set  out  in  the
Annex  to  this  Decision.

Article  2

This  Decision  shall  enter  into  force  on  the  third  day
following  that  of  its  publication  in  the  Official  Journal  of
the  European  Communities.

Article  3

This  Decision  is  addressed  to  the  Member  States.

C  120/16

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Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

18.4.98

ANNEX

1.(cid:217)Annex  I  is  amended  as  follows:

(a)(cid:217)On  the  contents  page,  the  text  in  Section  5  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"5.0.(cid:218)Europe

5.1. Baltic  Sea

5.2. North  Sea

5.3. Atlantic  Ocean

5.4. Mediterranean  Sea  -  Western  part

5.5. Mediterranean  Sea  -  Eastern  part’

(b) On  the  contents  page,  Section  7  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"Railway  corridors  and  terminals

7.1.0.(cid:218)Europe

7.1.1.(cid:218)Belgium/Germany/France/Luxembourg/Netherlands/Austria

7.1.2.(cid:218)Spain/Portugal/Ireland/United(cid:217)Kingdom

7.1.3.(cid:218)Denmark/Finland/Sweden

7.1.4.(cid:218)Greece/Italy

7.2.

Inland  waterways  and  inland  ports’

(c) Outline  plans  5.0  to  5.5  (Seaports)  are  inserted  and  outline  plans  7.1(cid:220)A  (Combined  transport:
Railway  corridors),  7.1(cid:220)B  (large  scale)  and  7.2  (Combined  transport:  Inland  waterways)  are  replaced
by  outline  plans  7.1.0  to  7.1.4  (Combined  transport  corridors  and  terminals/transhipment  areas)  and
7.2  (Inland  waterways  and  inland  ports).  These  outline  plans  are  contained  in  the  Appendix.

2.(cid:217)Annex  II  is  amended  as  follows:

(a)(cid:217)In  Section  3,  the  following  third  indent  is  added:

"-(cid:217)new  railway  services  to  be  developed  in  particular  on  the  basis  of  ""Trans(cid:220)European  Rail  Freight

Freeways’’.’

(b) In  Section  4,  the  first  part  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"Inland  ports

In  addition  to  projects  relating  to  the  connections  and  inland  ports  mentioned  in  Annex  I,  projects
of  common  interest  will  be  deemed  to  include  any  infrastructure  project  corresponding  to  one  or
more  of  the  following  categories:

1.(cid:217)access  to  the  port  from  inland  waterways;

2.(cid:217)port  infrastructure  inside  the  port  area;

3.(cid:217)other  transport  infrastructure  inside  the  port  area;

4.(cid:217)other  transport  infrastructures  linking  the  port  to  other  elements  of  the  trans(cid:220)European  network.’

(c) Section  5  is  amended  as  follows:

(i) Paragraph  1  becomes  paragraph  2  and  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"2.(cid:217)Categories  of  port  and  port(cid:220)related  projects  of  common  interest

Port  and  port(cid:220)related  infrastructure  projects  should  come  under  one  or  more  of  the
following  categories:

A.(cid:217)access  to  the  port  from  the  sea  or  inland  waterways,  including  capital  costs  for

ice(cid:220)breaking  works  during  winter;

B.

infrastructure  inside  the  port  area;

C. inland  transport  infrastructure  linking  the  port  to  other  elements  of  the  trans(cid:220)European

transport  network.’

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(ii) Paragraph  2  becomes  paragraph  1  and  the  title  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"1.(cid:217)Objectives  of  port  and  port(cid:220)related  projects  of  common  interest’

(iii) Paragraph  3  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"3.(cid:217)Types  of  port  and  port(cid:220)related  projects  of  common  interest

Special  attention  shall  be  given  to  the  following  types  of  projects,  in  particular:

-(cid:217)the  development  of  short  sea  and  sea(cid:220)river  shipping  including  the  necessary  infrastructure;

-(cid:217)upgrading  of  the  port  infrastructure  in  particular  in  ports  on  islands  and  in  peripheral

regions;

-(cid:217)creation  or 

improvement  of  hinterland  access, 

in  particular  through  rail  and 

inland

waterway  connections;

-(cid:217)development  and  installation  of  management  and  information  systems  such  as  EDI  (elec(cid:220)

tronic  data  interchange).’

(iv)(cid:217)The  following  paragraph  4  is  added:

"4.(cid:217)Specific  conditions

Infrastructure  investment  within  the  port  area  (excluding  EDI)  is  not  eligible  for  Community
financial  aid  in  the  field  of  trans(cid:220)European  networks,  except  for  projects  of  common  interest
concerning  combined  transport  in  port  areas  as  set  out  in  Annex  II  Section  7.  In  eligible  regions
infrastructure  investment  can  be  funded  by  the  Cohesion  and  Structural  funds.

Projects  must  contribute  to:

-(cid:217)integrating  traffic  into  a  trans(cid:220)European  transport  network  or  a  multimodal  transport  chain,

or

-(cid:217)greater  use  of  environmentally  friendly  transport.’

(d) In  Section  7,  the  third  indent  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"-(cid:217)adaptation  of  port  areas,  making  it  possible  to  develop  or  improve  transfers  between  sea

transport  and  rail  and  inland  waterways  in  combined  transport,’

3.(cid:217)Annex  III  is  amended  as  follows:

(a)(cid:217)The  title  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"List  of  the  fourteen  projects  adopted  by  the  Essen  and  Dublin  European  Councils’

(b) The  text  of  point  8  ("Motorway  Lisbon/Valladolid’)  is  replaced  by  the  following:

"Multimodal  link  Portugal/Spain  with  the  rest  of  Europe’.