Corrigendum to Decision No 884/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 amending Decision No 1692/96/EC on Community guidelines for the development of the trans?European transport network (OJ L 167, 30.4.2004)
Date: 2004-06-07
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Subjects: common transport policy, enlargement of the Union, trans-European network, transport network

7.6.2004

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CORRIGENDA

Corrigendum to Decision No 884/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004
amending Decision No 1692/96/EC on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European trans-
port network

(Official Journal of the European Union L 167 of 30 April 2004)

Decision No 884/2004/EC should read as follows:

DECISION No 884/2004/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 29 April 2004

amending Decision No 1692/96/EC on Community guidelines for the development of

the

trans-European transport network

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EURO-
PEAN UNION,

(3)

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com-
munity, and in particular the first paragraph of Article 156
thereof,

Having regard to the proposals from the Commission (1),

Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and
Social Committee (2),

Having regard to the Opinion of
Regions (3),

the Committee of

the

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in
Article 251 of the Treaty (4),

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Decision No 1692/96/EC of the European Parliament
and of the Council (5) laid down Community guidelines
for the trans-European transport network,
identifying
projects of common interest intended to contribute to
the development of that network and, in Annex III, iden-
tifying the specific projects to which the European
Council attached particular importance at its meetings in
Essen in 1994 and in Dublin in 1996.

Growth in traffic, in particular due to the growing share
of heavy goods vehicles, has
resulted in increased
congestion and bottlenecks on international transport
corridors. In order to ensure international mobility of
goods and passengers, it is therefore necessary to opti-
mise the capacity of
the trans-European transport
network.

(1) OJ C 362 E, 18.12.2001, p. 205 and OJ C 20 E, 28.1.2003,

p. 274.

(2) OJ C 125, 27.5.2002, p. 75.
(3) OJ C 278, 14.11.2002, p. 7.
(4) Opinions of the European Parliament of 30 May 2002 (OJ C 187 E,
7.8.2003, p. 130) and of 11 March 2004 (not yet published in the
Official Journal), Council Common Position of 14 April 2004 (not
yet published in the Official Journal) and Position of the European
Parliament of 21 April 2004 (not yet published in the Official
Journal).

(5) OJ L 228, 9.9.1996, p. 1. Decision as last amended by the Treaty

of Accession 2003.

The Gothenburg European Council in 2001 invited the
Community institutions to adopt revised guidelines for
the trans-European transport network, with a view to
giving priority, where appropriate,
to infrastructure
investment
inland waterways, short sea
for railways,
shipping, intermodal operations and effective intercon-
nections. In this framework, the contribution of inland
waterways ports and regional airports to the objectives
of the trans-European transport network should not be
underestimated.

The forthcoming enlargement of the European Union
and the objective of shifting the balance between trans-
port modes and achieving an infrastructure network
capable of meeting growing needs, together with the fact
that it could take over 10 years to complete some of the
priority projects, call for re-examination of the list of
projects in Annex III to Decision No 1692/96/EC.

Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary,
Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania,
Slovakia,
Slovenia, and Turkey have concluded association agree-
ments and Europe agreements and have applied for
membership of
the European Union. The transport
administrations of 11 of these countries have carried
out, with the support of the Commission, a transport
infrastructure needs assessment aimed at defining a
network according to the same principles as laid down
in Decision No 1692/96/EC.

(4)

(5)

(6)

The Barcelona European Council in 2002 underlined the
objective of reducing bottlenecks in regions such as the
Alps, the Pyrenees and the Baltic Sea.

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(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

in December 2003
The Brussels European Council
stressed that the priority projects identified in the guide-
lines are crucial to the strengthening of internal market
cohesion, especially in view of the forthcoming enlarge-
ment of the Union and of the need to remove bottle-
necks and/or complete missing links for the movement
of goods (transit) across natural or other barriers or
across borders.

The second Pan-European Transport Conference in Crete
in 1994 and the third Pan-European Transport Confer-
in 1997 identified 10 pan-European
ence in Helsinki
transport corridors and four pan-European areas as prio-
rities for cooperation between the European Community
and the third countries concerned.

their potential economic viability,

In its report submitted to the Commission on 30 June
2003,
the High-Level Group on the trans-European
transport network (hereinafter (cid:145)the High-Level Group(cid:146))
identified a limited number of priority projects using a
methodology based on criteria which include, in particu-
the degree of
lar,
commitment on the part of
the Member States
concerned to keeping to a timetable agreed in advance
in the programming of projects, their impact on the
mobility of goods and persons between Member States,
and their impact on cohesion and sustainable develop-
ment. The report also includes projects in the new
join the Union on 1 May
Member States which will
2004. The results of such cooperation should be taken
into account.

Environmental protection requirements should be inte-
grated into the definition and implementation of Com-
the trans-European
munity policy in the field of
networks in accordance with Article 6 of the Treaty.
This entails the promotion as a priority of infrastructure
for transport modes that cause less damage to the envir-
onment, namely rail transport, short sea shipping and
inland waterways shipping.

It is necessary to implement the central objective of
decoupling the negative effects of transport growth from
growth in GDP, as the Commission proposed in its
communication on a European Union strategy for
sustainable development.

to Directive
Environmental
assessment
pursuant
the
the European Parliament and of
2001/42/EC of
Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of
the
effects of certain plans and programmes on the environ-
ment (1) will in the future be carried out for all plans and

(1) OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, p. 30.

transport

programmes leading to projects of common interest.
Funding for
infrastructure should also be
conditional on compliance with the provisions of Com-
munity environmental legislation, in particular Council
Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assess-
ment of the effects of certain public and private projects
Council Directives
on
79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of
wild birds (3) and 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the
conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and
flora (4).

environment (2)

and

the

(13)

(14)

The Commission White Paper on the European transport
policy calls for an integrated approach combining, inter
alia, measures to revitalise the rail sector, in particular
for freight services, to promote inland waterway ship-
ping and short
to encourage greater
complementarity between high speed rail and air trans-
port and to promote the development of interoperable
intelligent transport systems in order to ensure increased
network efficiency and safety.

sea shipping,

sector and to develop the rail

The efficiency of the common transport policy depends,
inter alia, on the coherence of measures to revitalise the
infrastructure.
rail
Directive 2001/12/EC of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 26 February 2001 amending Council
Directive 91/440/EEC on the development of
the
Community’s railways (5) provides for a trans-European
rail freight network open to international freight trans-
port services after 2003. The lines of the trans-European
rail freight network should be considered as part of the
rail network defined by the guidelines
in
Decision No 1692/96/EC so that they can benefit from
investments and attract traffic from the road.

set out

(15) Within the general objective of ensuring the sustainable
mobility of persons and goods, mechanisms should be
put in place to support the development of motorways
of the sea between Member States in order to reduce
road congestion and/or improve access to peripheral and
island regions and States. Establishment of such mechan-
isms, backed up,
inter alia, by tendering procedures,
should be transparent and geared to needs and should in
no way prejudice the Community rules on competition
or on public procurement.

(2) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985, p. 40. Directive as

the European Parliament and of

last amended by
the

Directive 2003/35/EC of
Council (OJ L 156, 25.6.2003, p. 17).

(3) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979, p. 1. Directive as last amended by Regulation

(EC) No 807/2003 (OJ L 122, 16.5.2003, p. 36).

(4) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7. Directive as

last amended by
Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European Parliament and of
the Council (OJ L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1).

(5) OJ L 75, 15.3.2001, p. 1.

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(16)

(17)

(18)

Support for the development of the motorways of the
sea should be seen as complementary to the provision of
Community aid as an incentive to the development of
short sea shipping operations under the Marco Polo
Programme established by Regulation (EC) No 1382/
2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of
22 July 2003 on the granting of Community financial
assistance to improve the environmental performance of
the freight transport system (Marco Polo Programme) (1)
and should be based on the same criteria. However, the
granting of Community financial assistance under the
two instruments should not be cumulative.

There is a need for declaring priority projects to be of
European interest, for concentrating Community finan-
cing on such projects and for introducing mechanisms
to encourage coordination between Member States in
order to facilitate completion of the projects within the
desired timetable.

In accordance with Article 154 of the Treaty, the trans-
European network policy should help to strengthen
economic and social cohesion within the Community. In
order to achieve this objective, efforts should be made to
maximise consistency between the Community guide-
lines for the trans-European transport network and the
programming of the relevant financial instruments avail-
able at Community level.

(19) A posteriori evaluation of the priority projects should
facilitate future revisions of the guidelines and of the list
of priority projects and should help improve the a priori
evaluation methods practised by the Member States.

(20) A situation in which national procedures for the assess-
ment of the environmental and socioeconomic impact of
a project are carried out separately by Member States
may prove to be inappropriate to the transnational
dimension of projects declared to be of European
interest. In order to resolve this, coordinated evaluation
and public consultation procedures or
transnational
enquiry procedures covering the different Member States
concerned and focusing on the socioeconomic and
environmental aspects should be developed, in addition
to joint evaluation methods. These procedures should
apply without prejudice to the obligations imposed by
the Community legislation on environmental protection.

(21)

Closer coordination between the States
involved in
projects on the same route may be necessary to improve
the return on investments and to make it easier to
synchronise investments and to put together a funding
package.

(1) OJ L 196, 2.8.2003, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regulation

(EC) No 788/2004 (OJ L 138, 30.4.2004, p. 17).

(22)

(23)

(24)

(25)

up

set

Cross-border sections should be identified by Member
States on the basis of criteria to be defined by the
Committee
of
under
Decision No 1692/96/EC. The existing references to
cross-border sections of the priority projects included in
Annex III to that Decision should not prejudge the defi-
nition of cross-border
sections according to these
criteria.

Article

18(2)

the
The Commission has conducted an analysis of
impact of the recommendations made by the High-Level
Group. The results show that carrying out the projects
identified by the Group, combined with several of the
measures under the Common Transport Policy, such as
charging for the use of infrastructure and opening up
rail freight to competition, would produce significant
benefits in terms of time savings, lower emissions and
less congestion, better access to peripheral Member
States and to the new Member States, and greater
general well-being.

In order to comply with the objectives of the trans-Euro-
pean transport network and to meet the transport chal-
lenges of enlargement, a considerable increase in appro-
priations for the trans-European networks is needed.

to boost growth,

The Commission might decide to propose to the Euro-
pean Parliament and the Council that it is necessary to
take forward projects other
than those included in
Annex III to Decision No 1692/96/EC in order to pursue
integrate an
objectives
enlarged Europe and to improve the productivity and
competitiveness of European business on global markets,
as well as to contribute to the objective of economic,
social and territorial cohesion and to intermodality.
These projects should be given appropriate priority
within the context of Community financing instruments.

to better

(26) Decision No 1692/96/EC should therefore be amended

accordingly,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

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

1. in Article 2(1), the date (cid:145)2010(cid:146) is replaced by (cid:145)2020(cid:146);

2. Article 3(2) is replaced by the following:

The transport infrastructure shall comprise road, rail
(cid:145)2.
and inland waterway networks, motorways of
the sea,
seaports and inland waterway ports, airports and other
interconnection points between modal networks.(cid:146);

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3. Article 5 is replaced by the following:

(cid:145)Article 5

Priorities

Taking into account the objectives set out in Article 2 and
the broad lines of measures set out in Article 4, the priori-
ties shall be:

(a) establishment and development of the key links and
interconnections needed to eliminate bottlenecks, fill in
missing sections and complete the main routes, espe-
cially their cross-border sections, cross natural barriers,
and improve interoperability on major routes;

(b) establishment and development of infrastructure which
promotes the interconnection of national networks in
order to facilitate the linkage of
islands, or areas
similar
to islands, and landlocked, peripheral and
outermost regions on the one hand and the central
regions of the Community on the other, in particular
to reduce the high transport costs of these areas;

(c) the necessary measures for the gradual achievement of
including, where

an interoperable
feasible, routes adapted for freight transport;

rail network,

(d) the necessary measures

to promote long-distance,

short sea and inland shipping;

(e) the necessary measures to integrate rail and air trans-
port, especially through rail access to airports, when-
ever appropriate, and the infrastructures and installa-
tions needed;

(f) optimisation of the capacity and efficiency of existing
intermodality
and new infrastructure, promotion of
and improvement of the safety and reliability of the
network by establishing and improving intermodal
terminals and their access infrastructure and/or by
deploying intelligent systems;

(g) integration of safety and environmental concerns in
the design and implementation of the trans-European
transport network;

(h) development of sustainable mobility of persons and
goods in accordance with the objectives of the Euro-
pean Union on sustainable development.(cid:146);

4. Article 8 is replaced by the following:

(cid:145)Article 8

Environmental protection

1. When projects are planned and carried out, environ-
mental protection must be taken into account by the

Member States by carrying out, pursuant to Council Direc-
tive 85/337/EEC, environmental
impact assessments of
projects of common interest which are to be implemented
and by applying Directives 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979
on the conservation of wild birds (*) and 92/43/EEC.

shall be

As from 21 July 2004 an environmental assessment of the
plans and programmes leading to such projects, especially
where they concern new routes or other important nodal
infrastructure development,
carried out by
Member States pursuant to Directive 2001/42/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001
on the assessment of
the effects of certain plans and
programmes on the environment (**). Member States shall
take the results of
into
account in the preparation of the plans and programmes
concerned, in accordance with Article 8 of that Directive.

this environmental assessment

2.
By 21 July 2004, the Commission shall, in agreement
with Member States, develop suitable methods for imple-
menting the strategic environmental assessment with the
objective of ensuring, inter alia, appropriate coordination,
avoiding duplication of effort, and achieving simplification
and acceleration of planning processes for cross-border
projects and corridors.

The results of this work and of the environmental assess-
ment of the TEN projects carried out by Member States
pursuant
to Directive 2001/42/EC shall be taken into
account, as appropriate, by the Commission in its report
on the guidelines and the possible accompanying legisla-
tive proposals to revise the guidelines provided for in
Article 18(3) of this Decision.

(*) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979, p. 1. Directive as last amended
by Regulation (EC) No 807/2003 (OJ L 122,
16.5.2003, p. 36).

(**) OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, p. 30.(cid:146);(cid:146)

5. in Article 9, paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:

(cid:145)3.
The network shall also include infrastructure for
traffic management, user information, dealing with inci-
dents and emergencies and electronic fee collection, such
infrastructure being based on active cooperation between
traffic management systems at European, national and
regional level and providers of travel and traffic informa-
tion and value added services, which will ensure the neces-
sary complementarity with applications whose deployment
is facilitated under the trans-European telecommunications
networks programme.(cid:146);

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6. Article 10 is replaced by the following:

The rail network shall

5.
following functions:

fulfil at

least one of

the

(cid:145)Article 10

Characteristics

(a) play an important

role in long-distance passenger

traffic;

(b) permit
priate;

interconnection with airports, where appro-

The rail network shall comprise high-speed rail lines

1.
and conventional rail lines.

(c) permit access to regional and local rail networks;

The high-speed rail network, whether using current

2.
or new technology, shall comprise:

(d) facilitate freight transport by means of the identifica-
tion and development of trunk routes dedicated to
freight or
trains have a
priority;

routes on which freight

(a) specially built high-speed lines equipped for speeds

generally equal to or greater than 250 km/h;

(e) play an important role in combined transport;

(b) specially upgraded high-speed lines
speeds of the order of 200 km/h;

equipped for

(f) permit interconnection via ports of common interest

with short sea shipping and inland waterways.

(c) specially upgraded high-speed lines or lines specially
built for high speed and connected to the high-speed
rail network which have special features as a result of
topographical or environmental, relief or town-plan-
ning constraints, on which speed must be adapted indi-
vidually.

lines using current

The high-speed rail network shall consist of the lines indi-
cated in Annex I. Essential requirements and technical
specifications for interoperability applicable to high-speed
technology shall be defined in
rail
accordance with
of
23 July 1996 on the interoperability of the trans-European
high-speed rail system (*). Member States shall give the
Commission prior notice of the opening of any high-speed
line and of the line’s technical characteristics.

Council Directive

96/48/EC

3.
The conventional rail network shall comprise lines
for the conventional transport by rail of passengers and
freight, including the rail segments of the trans-European
combined transport network referred to in Article 14,
access links to sea and inland ports of common interest
and those freight terminals which are open to all opera-
tors. Essential requirements and technical specifications for
interoperability applicable to the conventional rail lines are
defined in accordance with Directive 2001/16/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 19 March 2001
on the interoperability of the trans-European conventional
rail system (**).

4.
The rail network shall include the infrastructures and
the facilities which enable rail and road and, where appro-
priate, maritime services and air transport services to be
integrated. In this regard, particular attention shall be paid
to the connection of regional airports to the network.

6.
The rail network shall offer users a high level of
quality and safety, by virtue of its continuity and of the
gradual implementation of its interoperability, which shall
be brought about in particular by technical harmonisation
and the ERTMS harmonised command and control system
recommended for the European railway network. To this
end, a deployment plan, coordinated with national plans,
shall be established by the Commission in consultation
with the Member States.

(*) OJ L 235, 17.9.1996, p. 6. Directive as last amended
by Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European
Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 284, 31.10.2003,
p. 1).

(**) OJ L 110, 20.4.2001, p. 1.(cid:146);(cid:146)

7. Article 11 is amended as follows:

(a) the following paragraph is inserted:

(cid:145)3b.
The inland ports of the network equipped with
transhipment facilities for intermodal transport or with
least
volume
an
500 000 tonnes are shown in Annex I.(cid:146);

annual

freight

traffic

of

at

(b) paragraph 4 is replaced by the following:

the

also include

The network shall

(cid:145)4.
traffic
management infrastructure. This shall entail in particu-
lar the establishment of an interoperable,
intelligent
traffic and transport system known as the (cid:147)River Infor-
mation Services(cid:148)
intended to optimise the existing
capacity and safety of the inland waterway network
and to improve interoperability with other modes of
transport.(cid:146);

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8. the following Article is inserted:

(cid:145)Article 12a

Motorways of the sea

1.
The trans-European network of motorways of the sea
is intended to concentrate flows of freight on sea-based
logistical routes in such a way as to improve existing mari-
time links or to establish new viable, regular and frequent
maritime links for the transport of goods between Member
States so as to reduce road congestion and/or improve
access to peripheral and island regions and States. Motor-
ways of the sea should not exclude the combined transport
of persons and goods, provided that freight is predomi-
nant.

2.
The trans-European network of motorways of the sea
shall consist of facilities and infrastructure concerning at
least two ports in two different Member States. The facil-
ities and infrastructure shall include elements,
in at least
one Member State, such as the port facilities, electronic
logistics management systems, safety and security and
administrative and customs procedures, as well as infra-
structure for direct land and sea access, including ways of
ensuring year-round navigability,
in particular the avail-
ability of facilities for dredging and icebreakers for winter
access.

3. Waterways or canals, as identified in Annex I, which
link two European motorways of the sea, or two sections
thereof, and make a substantial contribution to shortening
sea routes, increasing efficiency and saving shipping time
shall form part of the trans-European network of motor-
ways of the sea.

4.
The projects of common interest of the trans-Euro-
pean network of motorways of the sea shall be proposed
by at least two Member States and shall be geared to actual
needs. The projects proposed shall in general involve both
the public and private sectors in accordance with proce-
dures which, before aid granted from the national budgets
can be supplemented, if necessary, by aid from the Com-
munity, provide for a tendering process in one of the
following forms:

(a) a public call

for tenders organised jointly by the
intended to establish new
Member States concerned,
links
category A port, as defined in
Article 12(2), which they select in advance within each
sea area, as referred to in project No 21 in Annex III;

from the

(b) in so far as the location of the ports is comparable, a
public call for tenders organised jointly by the Member
States concerned and targeting consortia bringing
together at least shipping companies and ports located
in one of the sea areas, as referred to in project No 21
in Annex III.

The projects of common interest of the trans-Euro-

5.
pean network of motorways of the sea:

(cid:151) shall focus on the facilities and infrastructure which

make up the network of motorways of the sea,

(cid:151) may include, without prejudice to Articles 87 and 88
of the Treaty, start-up aid if, as a result of the tendering
process referred to in paragraph 4, public support is
deemed necessary for the financial viability of
the
project. Start-up aid shall be limited to two years and
shall be granted only in support of duly justified capital
costs. The aid may not exceed the minimum estimated
amount required to start up the links concerned. The
aid may not lead to distortions of competition in the
relevant markets contrary to the common interest,

(cid:151) may also include activities which have wider benefits
and are not linked to specific ports, such as making
available facilities for ice-breaking and dredging opera-
tions, as well as information systems, including traffic
management and electronic reporting systems.

6.
The Commission shall, within three years, submit to
the Committee referred to in Article 18 an initial list of
specific projects of common interest, thereby putting the
concept of the motorways of the sea into concrete form.
This list shall also be communicated to the European
Parliament.

7.
The projects of common interest of the trans-Euro-
pean network of motorways of the sea shall be submitted
to the Commission for approval.(cid:146);

9. the following paragraph is added to Article 13:

(cid:145)3.
International and Community connecting points
shall be gradually linked to the high-speed lines of the rail
network, where appropriate. The network shall include the
infrastructures and the facilities which permit the integra-
tion of air and rail transport services and, where appro-
priate, maritime transport services.(cid:146);

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10. the following section is inserted:

(cid:145)SECTION 10a

COORDINATION BETWEEN MEMBER STATES

Article 17a

European Coordinator

In order to facilitate the coordinated implementation
1.
of certain projects, in particular cross-border projects or
sections of cross-border projects
included among the
projects declared to be of European interest referred to in
Article 19a, the Commission may designate, in agreement
with the Member States concerned, and after having
consulted the European Parliament, a person called the
(cid:147)European Coordinator(cid:148). The European Coordinator shall
act in the name of and on behalf of the Commission. The
remit of the European Coordinator shall normally relate to
a single project, especially in the case of a cross-border
project, but may, if necessary, be extended to cover the
whole of a major axis. The European Coordinator shall
draw up together with the Member States concerned a
work plan for his/her activities.

2.
The European Coordinator shall be chosen, in par-
ticular, on the basis of his/her experience of European
institutions and knowledge of issues relating to the finan-
cing and the socioeconomic and environmental evaluation
of major projects.

3.
The Commission decision designating the European
Coordinator shall specify how he/she is to perform the
tasks referred to in paragraph 5.

4.
The Member States concerned shall cooperate with
the European Coordinator and give him/her the informa-
tion required to perform the tasks referred to in paragraph
5.

5.

The European Coordinator shall:

(a) promote,

in cooperation with the Member States
concerned, joint methods for the evaluation of projects
and, where appropriate, advise project promoters on
the financial package for the projects;

(b) draw up a report every year for the European Parlia-
ment,
the Commission and the Member States
concerned on progress achieved in the implementation
of the project(s) for which he/she is responsible, new
regulatory or other developments which could affect
the characteristics of the projects and any difficulties
and obstacles which may result in a significant delay in
relation to the dates indicated in Annex III;

and the type of services that must be provided in order
to facilitate access to such funding.

6. Without prejudice to the applicable procedures laid
down in Community and national
law, the Commission
the European Coordinator
may request
when examining applications for Community funding for
projects or groups of projects for which the European
Coordinator is responsible.(cid:146);

the opinion of

11. Article 18 is amended as follows:

(a) the title is replaced by the following:

(cid:145)Committee
Exchange of Information(cid:146);

for Monitoring Guidelines

and

the

(b) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:

(cid:145)1.
The Member States shall provide the Commis-
sion with abstracts of national plans and programmes
which they are drawing up with a view to develop-
ment of the trans-European transport network, in par-
ticular in relation to the projects declared to be of
European interest referred to in Article 19a. Once
adopted, the Member States shall send the national
plans and programmes to the Commission for infor-
mation.(cid:146);

(c) paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:

(cid:145)3.
The Commission shall report every two years to
the European Parliament, the Council, the European
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of
the Regions on the implementation of the guidelines
described in this Decision. The Committee set up
under paragraph 2 shall assist the Commission with
drawing up the report. The report shall be accompa-
nied where necessary by legislative proposals to revise
the guidelines; these legislative proposals may, if neces-
sary,
to the list of priority
projects in Annex III or the addition to that list of
projects that are in conformity with Article 19(1). The
revision shall have particular regard to projects that
contribute to the territorial cohesion of the European
Union in accordance with Article 19(1)(e).(cid:146);

include amendments

12. Article 19 is replaced by the following:

(cid:145)Article 19

Priority projects

The priority projects shall be projects of common
referred to in Article 7 where examination

1.
interest
confirms that they:

(c) consult, together with the Member States concerned,
regional and local authorities, operators,
transport
users, and representatives of civil society with a view
to gaining fuller knowledge of the demand for trans-
port services, the possibilities of investment funding

(a) are intended to eliminate a bottleneck or complete a
missing link on a major route of the trans-European
network, in particular projects which are cross-border
projects, cross natural barriers or have a cross-border
section;

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(b) are on such a scale that long-term planning at Euro-

pean level will help significantly;

priate priority to the projects declared to be of Euro-
pean interest;

(c) present, overall, potential socio-economic net benefits

and other socioeconomic advantages;

(d) significantly improve the mobility of goods and
persons between Member States and thus also contri-
bute to the interoperability of national networks;

(e) contribute to the territorial cohesion of the European
Union by integrating the networks of the new Member
States and improving connections with the peripheral
and island regions;

(f) contribute to the sustainable development of transport
by improving safety and reducing environmental
by
damage
promoting a modal shift towards railways, intermodal
transport, inland waterways and maritime transport;

in particular

transport,

caused

by

(g) demonstrate commitment on the part of the Member
States concerned to carrying out studies and evaluation
procedures in time to complete the work in accordance
with a date agreed in advance, based upon national
plans or any other equivalent document relating to the
project in question.

2.
The priority projects on which work is due to start
before 2010, the sections thereof and the dates agreed for
completing the work referred to in paragraph 1(g) are set
out in Annex III.

3.
By 2010 the Commission shall draft a progress
report and, if necessary, propose amendments to the list of
in line with
priority projects
paragraph 1.(cid:146);

identified in Annex III

13. the following Articles are inserted:

(cid:145)Article 19a

Declaration of European interest

1.
The priority projects identified in Annex III are
declared to be of European interest. This declaration is
made solely in accordance with the procedure laid down
in the Treaty and in the legal acts based thereon.

2. Without prejudice to the legal basis of the Com-
munity financial instrument in question:

(a) when submitting their projects under the Cohesion
Fund, in accordance with Article 10 of Council Regu-
lation (EC) No 1164/94 of 16 May 1994 establishing a
Cohesion Fund (*), the Member States shall give appro-

(b) when submitting their projects under the budget for
the trans-European networks, in accordance with Arti-
cles 9 and 10 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2236/95
of 18 September 1995 laying down general rules for
the granting of Community financial aid in the field of
trans-European networks (**), the Member States shall
give appropriate priority to the projects declared to be
of European interest;

(c) the Commission shall encourage the Member States to
take into account the projects declared to be of Euro-
pean interest when planning the programming of the
Structural Funds, in particular in regions covered by
Objective 1, having regard to national transport plans
falling within the
existing Community
scope of
support frameworks;

(d) the Commission shall ensure that the countries quali-
fying for the Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-
accession give appropriate priority, when submitting
their projects under that
in accordance
with Articles 2 and 7 of Council Regulation (EC)
No 1267/1999 of 21 June 1999 establishing an Instru-
ment for Structural Policies for Preaccession (***), to
the projects declared to be of European interest.

instrument

3. When forecasting its financial needs, the Commission
shall give appropriate priority to the projects declared to
be of European interest.

In the event of a significant delay, in relation to the
4.
deadline of 2010, in starting work on one of the projects
declared to be of European interest, the Commission shall
ask the Member States concerned to give the reasons for
the delay within three months. On the basis of the reply
given, the Commission shall consult all the Member States
concerned in order to solve the problem which has led to
the delay.

The Commission may, in consultation with the Committee
set up under Article 18(2), and as part of its active moni-
toring of the implementation of the project declared to be
of European interest and having due regard to the principle
of proportionality, decide to adopt appropriate measures.
The Member States concerned shall be given the opportu-
nity to submit observations on such measures before their
adoption.

The European Parliament shall be informed immediately of
any measure taken.

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In adopting these measures, the Commission shall take due
account of the share of responsibility for the delay of each
Member States concerned and shall refrain from taking
measures that would affect the realisation of the project in
Member States not responsible for the delay.

5.
In the event that a project declared to be of European
interest is not substantially completed within a reasonable
period of time after the expected date of its completion
indicated in Annex III, and all Member States concerned
are responsible for the delay, the Commission shall review
the project, in accordance with the procedure referred to
in paragraph 4, with a view to withdrawing its classifica-
tion as a project declared to be of European interest by
the revision procedure referred to in Article
means of
18(3). The Commission shall,
in any event, review the
project at the end of a period of 15 years after it has been
declared to be of European interest within the meaning of
this Decision.

6.
Five years after completion of a project declared to
be of European interest or of one of the sections thereof,
the Member States concerned shall carry out an assessment
of its socioeconomic impact and its impact on the environ-
ment, including its impact on trade and the free movement
of persons and goods between Member States, on terri-
torial cohesion and on sustainable development. Member
States shall inform the Commission of the results of this
assessment.

7. Where a project declared to be of European interest
includes a cross-border section which is technically and
financially indivisible, the Member States concerned shall
coordinate their procedures for assessing the socioeco-
nomic effects thereof and use their best endeavours to
conduct a transnational enquiry prior to granting construc-
tion permission and within the existing framework.

Other sections of projects of European interest will
8.
be coordinated bilaterally or multilaterally by the Member
States on a case-by case basis.

9.
The coordinated actions or transnational enquiries
referred to in paragraph 7 shall apply without prejudice to
the obligations imposed by the Community legislation on
environmental protection, and particularly those relating
to environmental impact assessment. The Member States
concerned shall inform the Commission when such coordi-
nated actions or transnational enquiries are launched and
of the results. The Commission shall include that informa-
tion in the report referred to in Article 18(3).

Article 19b

Cross-border sections

In the context of certain priority projects, cross-border
sections between two Member States,
including motor-
ways of the sea, shall be identified by the Member States
on the basis of criteria defined by the Committee set up
under Article 18(2) and notified to the Commission. These
will be, notably, sections which are technically and finan-
cially indivisible or to which the Member States concerned
commit themselves jointly and for which they put in place
a common structure.

(*) OJ L 130, 25.5.1994, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by the

Act of Accession of 2003.

(**) OJ L 228, 23.9.1995, p. 1. Regulation as lastamended by
Regulation (EC) No 807/2004 of the European Parliament
and of the Council (OJ L 143, 30.4.2004. p. 46).

(***) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999, p. 73. Regulation as last amended by
Regulation (EC) No 769/2004 (OJ L 123, 27.4.2004, p. 1).(cid:146);

14. Articles 20 and 21 are deleted;

15. the Annexes are amended as follows:

1. in Annex I, sections 2, 3, 4 and 6 and the attached
maps are replaced as indicated in Annex I to this Deci-
sion;

2. in Annex III:

(a) the title is replaced by the following:

(cid:145)Priority
projects on which work is due to start before
2010(cid:146);

(b) the contents are replaced by the text set out in

Annex II to this Decision.

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the 20th day following
its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Article 3

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Strasbourg, 29 April 2004.

For the European Parliament

The President

P. COX

For the Council

The President

M. McDOWELL

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ANNEX I

Annex I to Decision No 1692/96/EC is amended as follows.

1. Sections 2, 3 and 4 are replaced by the following:

(cid:145)Section 2: Road network

2.0. Europe

2.1. Belgium

2.2. Denmark

2.3. Germany

2.4. Greece

2.5. Spain

2.6. France

2.7. Ireland

Section 3: Rail network

3.0. Europe

3.1. Belgium

3.2. Denmark

3.3. Germany

3.4. Greece

3.5. Spain

3.6. France

3.7. Ireland

2.8.

2.9.

Italy

Luxembourg

2.10. Netherlands

2.11. Austria

2.12. Portugal

2.13. Finland

2.14. Sweden

2.15. United Kingdom

3.8.

3.9.

Italy

Luxembourg

3.10. Netherlands

3.11. Austria

3.12. Portugal

3.13. Finland

3.14. Sweden

3.15. United Kingdom

Section 4:

Inland waterways network and inland ports.(cid:146)

2. Section 6 is replaced by the following:

(cid:145)Section 6: Airports network

6.0. Europe

6.1. Belgium/Denmark/Germany/Luxembourg/Neth-

erlands/Austria

6.2. Greece

6.3. Spain/Portugal

6.4. France

6.5. Ireland/United Kingdom

6.6. Italy

6.7. Finland/Sweden(cid:146)

3. The following maps replace the corresponding maps in Decision No 1692/96/EC.

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Annex III to Decision No 1692/96/EC is replaced by the following:

(cid:145)ANNEX III

ANNEX II

PRIORITY PROJECTS ON WHICH WORK IS DUE TO START BEFORE 2010

1. Railway axis Berlin-Verona/Milan-Bologna-Napels-Messina-Palermo

(cid:151) Halle/Leipzig-Nþrnberg (2015)

(cid:151) Nþrnberg-Munich (2006)

(cid:151) Munich-Kufstein (2015)

(cid:151) Kufstein-Innsbruck (2009)

(cid:151) Brenner tunnel (2015), cross-border section

(cid:151) Verona-Napels (2007)

(cid:151) Milan-Bologna (2006)

(cid:151) Rail/road bridge over the Strait of Messina-Palermo (2015)

2. High-speed railway axis Paris-Brussels/Brussels-Cologne-Amsterdam-London

(cid:151) Channel tunnel-London (2007)

(cid:151) Brussels/Brussels-LiŁge-Cologne (2007)

(cid:151) Brussels/Brussels-Rotterdam-Amsterdam (2007) (1)

3. High-speed railway axis of south-west Europe

(cid:151) Lisbon/Porto-Madrid (2011) (2)

(cid:151) Madrid-Barcelona (2005)

(cid:151) Barcelona-Figueras-Perpignan (2008)

(cid:151) Perpignan-Montpellier (2015)

(cid:151) Montpellier-N(cid:238)mes (2010)

(cid:151) Madrid-Vitoria-Irœn/Hendaye (2010)

(cid:151) Irœn/Hendaye-Dax, cross-border section (2010)

(cid:151) Dax-Bordeaux (2020)

(cid:151) Bordeaux-Tours (2015)

4. High-speed railway axis east

(cid:151) Paris-Baudrecourt (2007)

(cid:151) Metz-Luxembourg (2007)

(cid:151) Saarbrþcken-Mannheim (2007)

5. Betuwe line (2007).

(1)

(2)

Including the two high-speed train stations in Rotterdam and Amsterdam which were not included in the project endorsed by the
Essen European Council in 1994.
Including links Lisbon-Porto (2013), Lisbon-Madrid (2010) and Aveiro-Salamanca (2015).

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6. Railway axis Lyon-Trieste-DivaŁa/Koper-DivaŁa-Ljubljana-Budapest-Ukrainian border (1)

(cid:151) Lyon-St Jean de Maurienne (2015)

(cid:151) Mont-Cenis tunnel (2015-2017), cross-border section

(cid:151) Bussoleno-Turin (2011)

(cid:151) Turin-Venice (2010)

(cid:151) Venice-Ronchi Sud-Trieste DivaŁa (2015)

(cid:151) Koper- DivaŁa -Ljubljana (2015)

(cid:151) Ljubljana-Budapest (2015)

7. Motorway axis Igoumenitsa/Patra-Athina-Sofia-Budapest

(cid:151) Via Egnatia (2006)

(cid:151) Pathe (2008)

(cid:151) Sofia-Kulata-Greek/Bulgarian border motorway (2010), with Promahon-Kulata as cross-border section

(cid:151) Nadlac-Sibiu motorway (branch towards Bucuresti and Constan(cid:254)a) (2007)

8. Multimodal axis Portugal/Spain-rest of Europe (2)

(cid:151) Railway La Coruæa-Lisbon-Sines (2010)

(cid:151) Railway Lisbon-Valladolid (2010)

(cid:151) Railway Lisbon-Faro (2004)

(cid:151) Lisbon-Valladolid motorway (2010)

(cid:151) La Coruæa-Lisbon motorway (2003)

(cid:151) Seville-Lisboa motorway (completed 2001)

(cid:151) New Lisbon airport (2015)

9. Railway axis Cork-Dublin-Belfast-Stranraer (3) (2001)

10. Malpensa (completed 2001) (4)

11. (cid:214)resund fixed link (completed 2000) (5)

12. Nordic triangle railway/road axis

(cid:151) Road and railway projects in Sweden 2010) (6)

(cid:151) Helsinki-Turku motorway (2010)

(cid:151) Railway Kerava-Lahti (2006)

(cid:151) Helsinki-Vaalimaa motorway (2015)

(cid:151) Railway Helsinki-Vainikkala (Russian border) (2014)

13. UK/Ireland/Benelux road axis (2010)

14. West coast main line (2007)

15. Galileo (2008)

16. Freight railway axis Sines-Madrid-Paris

(cid:151) New high-capacity rail axis across the Pyrenees

(cid:151) Railway Sines-Badajoz (2010)

(cid:151) Railway line Algeciras-Bobadilla (2010)

Including upgrade of ports and airports (2015) as in accordance with the contents endorsed by the Essen/Dublin European Council.

(1) Parts of this route correspond to pan-European corridor V.
(2)
(3) A further increase in capacity on this line was decided in 2003 and added as a separate project.
(4) Project completed.
(5) Project completed.
(6) A few short sections of road and railway line will be completed between 2010 and 2015.

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17. Railway axis Paris-Strasbourg-Stuttgart-Vienna-Bratislava

(cid:151) Baudrecourt-Strasbourg-Stuttgart (2015) with the Kehl bridge as cross-border section

(cid:151) Stuttgart-Ulm (2012)

(cid:151) Munich-Salzburg (2015), cross-border section

(cid:151) Salzburg-Vienna (2012)

(cid:151) Vienna-Bratislava (2010), cross-border section

18. Rhine/Meuse-Main-Danube inland waterway axis (1)

(cid:151) Rhine-Meuse (2019) with the lock of Lanaye as cross-border section

(cid:151) Vilshofen-Straubing (2013)

(cid:151) Wien-Bratislava (2015) cross-border section

(cid:151) Palkovicovo-MohÆcs (2014)

(cid:151) Bottlenecks in Romania and Bulgaria (2011)

19. High-speed rail interoperability on the Iberian peninsula

(cid:151) Madrid-Andalusia (2010)

(cid:151) North-east (2010)

(cid:151) Madrid-Levante and Mediterranean (2010)

(cid:151) North/North-west corridor, including Vigo-Porto (2010)

(cid:151) Extremadura (2010)

20. Fehmarn Belt railway axis

(cid:151) Fehmarn Belt fixed rail/road link (2014)

(cid:151) Railway for access in Denmark from (cid:214)resund (2015)

(cid:151) Railway for access in Germany from Hamburg (2015)

(cid:151) Railway Hannover-Hamburg/Bremen (2015)

21. Motorways of the sea

Projects of common interest identified in accordance with Article 12a and concerning the following motorways of
the sea:

(cid:151) motorway of the Baltic Sea (linking the Baltic Sea Member States with Member States in central and western

Europe, including the route through the North Sea/Baltic Sea Canal (Kiel Canal) (2010)),

(cid:151) motorway of the sea of western Europe (leading from Portugal and Spain via the Atlantic Arc to the North Sea

and the Irish Sea) (2010),

(cid:151) motorway of the sea of south-east Europe (connecting the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea and the Eastern Medi-

terranean to include Cyprus) (2010)

(cid:151) motorway of

the sea of south-west Europe (western Mediterranean), connecting Spain, France,

Italy and

including Malta, and linking with the motorway of the sea of south-east Europe (2) (2010).

22. Railway axis Athina-Sofia-Budapest-Vienna-Prague-Nþrnberg/Dresden (3)

(cid:151) Railway Greek/Bulgarian border-Kulata-Sofia-Vidin/Calafat (2015)

(cid:151) Railway Curtici-Brasov (towards Bucarest and Constanta) (2010)

(cid:151) Railway Budapest-Vienna (2010), cross-border section

(cid:151) Railway Błeclav-Prague-Nþrnberg (2010), with Nþrnberg-Prague as cross-border section

Railway axis Prague-Linz (2016)

(1) Part of this route corresponds to the definition of pan-European corridor VII.
(2)
(3) This major route largely corresponds to the definition of pan-European corridor IV.

Including to the Black Sea.

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23. Railway axis Gdansk-Warsaw-Brno/Bratislava-Vienna (1)

(cid:151) Railway Gdansk-Warsaw-Katowice (2015)

(cid:151) Railway Katowice-Błeclav (2010)

(cid:151) Railway Katowice-Zilina-Nove Mesto n.V. (2010)

24. Railway axis Lyon/Genoa-Basel-Duisburg-Rotterdam/Antwerp

(cid:151) Lyon-Mulhouse-Mþlheim (2), with Mulhouse-Mþlheim as cross-border section (2018)

(cid:151) Genoa-Milan/Novara-Swiss border (2013)

(cid:151) Basel-Karlsruhe (2015)

(cid:151) Frankfurt-Mannheim (2012)

(cid:151) Duisburg-Emmerich (2009) (3)

(cid:151) (cid:145)Iron Rhine(cid:146) Rheidt-Antwerp, cross-border section (2010)

25. Motorway axis Gdansk-Brno/Bratislava-Vienna (4)

(cid:151) Gdansk-Katowice motorway (2010)

(cid:151) Katowice-Brno/Zilina motorway (2010), cross-border section

(cid:151) Brno-Vienna motorway (2009), cross-border section

26. Railway/road axis Ireland/United Kingdom/continental Europe

(cid:151) Road/railway axis linking Dublin with the North (Belfast-Larne) and South (Cork) (2010) (5)

(cid:151) Road/railway axis Hull-Liverpool (2015)

(cid:151) Railway Felixstowe-Nuneaton (2011)

(cid:151) Railway Crewe-Holyhead (2008)

27.

(cid:145)Rail Baltica(cid:146) axis Warsaw-Kaunas-Riga-Tallinn-Helsinki

(cid:151) Warsaw-Kaunas (2010)

(cid:151) Kaunas-Riga (2014)

(cid:151) Riga-Tallinn (2016)

28.

(cid:145)Eurocaprail(cid:146) on the Brussels-Luxembourg-Strasbourg railway axis

(cid:151) Brussels-Luxembourg-Strasbourg (2012)

29. Railway axis of the Ionian/Adriatic intermodal corridor

(cid:151) Kozani-Kalambaka-Igoumenitsa (2012)

(cid:151) Ioannina-Antirrio-Rio-Kalamata (2014)

30. Inland waterway Seine-Scheldt.

Navigability improvements Deulemont-Gent (2012-2014-2016)

CompiŁgne-Cambrai (2012-2014-2016)

The date, agreed in advance, for completing the work is shown in brackets. The dates for completing the work for
projects 1 to 20 and 30 and the details of the sections are as indicated in the High-Level Group’s report where these
have actually been identified.(cid:146)

(1) This major route largely corresponds to the definition of pan-European corridor VI.
(2)
Including the TGV Rhin-Rhðne, minus the western branch.
(3) Project No 5 (Betuwe line) links Rotterdam and Emmerich.
(4) This major route largely corresponds to the definition of pan-European corridor VI.
(5)

Including Essen project No 13: road axis Ireland/United Kingdom/Benelux.