CELEX: 51982PC0225
Language: en
Date: 1982-07-22
Title: Proposal for a REGULATION (EEC) OF THE COUNCIL on the granting of limited financial support in the field of transport infrastructure (presented by the Commission to the Council)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (82) 225
Vol. 1982/0092
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                            COM(82 > 225 final
                                                            Brussels , 22nd July 1982
                             Proposal for a
                    REGULATION (EEC') OP THE COUNCIL
 on the granting of limited financial support in the field of transport infra­
                               structure
             (presented by the Commission to the Council )
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 ---pagebreak---                                       ù3w^ 2* iS
               Proposal tor a Council Regulation on the
               granting of limited financial , support in
              th© field of transport infrastructure
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
1 . On 5th July , 1976 the Commission forwarded to the Council a proposal for a
    Regulation on support for projects of Community interest in transport in–
     A _ I    I
                  *)t
    frastructure      .
    On 15 February 19°0 the Commission adopted an amendment to this proposal
    so as to extend the scope of the Regulation to include infrastructure
    projects in third countries .
    The European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee have de­
    livered favourable opinions on both the proposal and the amendment .
2 . The proposal for a Regulation on support for projects of Community interest
    has been discussed at various Council meetings . In November 1978 the
    Council asked the Commission to provide further information on the short-
           in
    comings /transport infrastructures , the Community 's financing systems
    and possible methods of evaluating "Community interest ".
    The Commission sent the Council two report s ; one on bottlenecks and pos­
    sible modes of finance and the other on criteria for the evaluation of
    projects of Community interest in response to its request . The Council
    took note of these reports on 4 December 19?0 and 15 December 1981
    respectively.
3 . At its meeting on 15 December 1981 the Council expressed its desire for '
    the advancement of preparatory work leading to the introduction of a
    system of financial support .
 *) OJ No C 207 , 2.9.1976
 ---pagebreak---                                          - 2 -
                     The Commission was asked as experiment to apply to a limited
       number of specific projects , the methods of assessing the Community interest
       of infrastructure projects recommended in the report on the criteria
       for the evaluation of Community support .
                     The Council also gave guidance to the Permanent Representatives
       Committee for its further examination of the proposal for a Regulation
       on financial support .
*f .                 The Community 's special interest in projects relating to
       routes carrying a large volume of international long-distance traffic of vital
       importance to the Community 's economic development is borne out by the work
       undertaken so far on infrastructure ( the abovementioned reports ; the
       disqussions within the Transport Infrastructure Committee ; and Commission
       studies on traffic and project evaluation methods ).   The main interest of
                                     I
       these projects lies in the fact that they will considerably reduce
       transport costs to users .  Some of the projects have not yet reached the
       stage at which their execution could begin at once .
5.                   To ensure that the first limited tranche of funds in the 1982
     • Budget has the maximum practical effect , the Commission suggests that it
       be put to the following uses :
       (a ) Contributions to specific essential improvements or to the construction
            of much-needed new sections on major international routes , chiefly
            on transalpine rail links to begin with .   These improvements must
            be compatible with all the other - more substantial - long-term
            improvements possible on these links .
       (b ) Contributions to work required ahead of actual execution of projects ,
            as a means of expediting the decision-making process .
                     A list of projects which meet these criteria is attached by
       way of illustration .
 6.                  The Commission hence considers it can justifiably propose that ,
       as an experiment , a first tranche of financial support be granted
       from the Budget to expedite the implementation of projects which on
       the above criteria can easily be chosen on a geographical basis and do
       not require any additional economic calculation to demonstrate their
       genuine interest for the Community .
                      This experiment is in keeping with the proposal for a
       Regulation submitted by the Commission in 1976 .   An appropriate
 ---pagebreak--- decision-making process will be required in view of the nature of the
experiment ( limitod and fixed amount of eid from the Budget ; protests
to be selected according to very definite - principally geographical -
criteria ).
               The Council is asked to adopt the attached proposal for
a Regulation .  But in view of the agreement signed on 30 June 1982 by
the Presidents of the . European Parliament , the Council and the Commission ,
and in particular section IV(3 ), subparagraph c of that agreement ,
and having regard to the date of submission of this proposal , the
Commission would point out that it will put up alternative
proposals ( transfers ) if this one is not adopted before 31 October 1982 .
 ---pagebreak---     LIST OF PROJECTS
1 . Construction work
    Plan to modernize the marshalling yard at Domodossola , a nodal point on north-
    south rail links . The execution of this project is part of a general
    modernization scheme (principally in Swiss territory ) and can proceed without
    any prior decisions having to be taken on the implementation of large-scale
    projects ( such as main tunnels ). Project cost : approximately 80 million ECU .
2 . Preparatory work following upon the decision in principle to execute projects
    Project for the construction of a fixed -cross-Channel link .   The choice of
    design depends on the service which a fixed link could offer to the
    entire Community .
3 . Determination of routes and preparatory analysis work
     (a ) Technical surveys to determine the route of the Belfast-Dublin road
          link , especially in the border region ;
     (b ) Preparation of improvement schemes for the road axis originating at
          Volos ( Greece ) with a view to the construction of adequate road
          connections between Greece and the rest of the Community ;
     (c ) Preparatory work for the construction of the planned fixed link
          across the Straits of Messina .
4 . Research directed towards the development of new means of transport
    The recent progress in the field of conventional track-guided transport
    systems ("TGV", Advanced Passenger Train ) is illustrated by the projects
    which have already been carried out or are in progress .    In the field
    of non-conventional transport systems ( e.g. , magnetic levitation combined
    with linear induction motor ), work has not progressed beyond the construction
    of test tracks and is being hampered by budgetary restrictions ; particularly
    hard hit is the TRANSRAPID test track in Emsland ( Federal Republic of
    Germany ) •
 ---pagebreak---                          Proposal for a
                       COUNCIL REGULATION
                on the granting of limited financial support
                in the field of transport infrastructure
THE COUNCIL 0? THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,
and in particular Article 75 thereof ,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ,
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee ,
Whereas a proposal for a Regulation on support for projects of Community
interest in transport infrastructure has "been submitted to the Council ;
Whereas the Commission has undertaken the preparatory work called for by
the Council at its meeting on 23 November 1978 ;
Whereas a limited amount of financial support should be provided, in order
to assess how useful this might be in developing a transport network of
interest to the Community and          the whole of the operational appropriation
included in the 1982 budget -should be used;
Whereas in this experimental phase eligible projects must concern routes
of prime importance to Community traffic and' must be urgent .
 ---pagebreak---                                        - 2 -
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION
Article 1
The Community may grant financial support for transport inf rastructure
projects by contributing towards the cost of :
- modernizing sections of , or stations on, transalpine rail links
    provided that the work in question is compatible with the long-term
    development alternatives for these links' ; .
- preparatory work which will speed up- the transition to the
    construction phase of projects affecting traffic between Member States .
Article 2
The Commission , after consulting the Transport Infrastructure
Committee set up under           Decision of     78 / 174    ( l )» shall
decide on the granting and the form of financial support in
accordance with the eligibility criteria laid down in Article 1 .
The amount of support shall not exceed 20% of . the cost of the project .
  i
Article 3                      i
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its publication
in the Official Journal of the European Communities .
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in
all Member States .
                                      For the Council
                                      The President
(1 )   OJ No L 54 , 25.2.1978 , p. 16 .