Article 1 Priorities
Decision No 1692/96/EC is hereby amended as follows: 1) in Article 2(1), the date "2010" shall be replaced by "2020"; 2) Article 3(2) shall be replaced by the following: "2. The transport infrastructure shall comprise road, rail and inland waterway networks, motorways of the sea, seaports and inland waterway ports, airports and other interconnection points between modal networks."; Article 3(2) shall be replaced by the following: "2. The transport infrastructure shall comprise road, rail and inland waterway networks, motorways of the sea, seaports and inland waterway ports, airports and other interconnection points between modal networks."; "2.
Article 17a European Coordinator
1. In order to facilitate the coordinated implementation 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 "European Coordinator". 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 particular, on the basis of his/her experience of European institutions and knowledge of issues relating to the financing and the socio-economic 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 information 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 Parliament, 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; (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 transport services, the possibilities of investment funding 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 may request the opinion of the European Coordinator when examining applications for Community funding for projects or groups of projects for which the European Coordinator is responsible."; 11) Article 18 shall be amended as follows: (a) the title shall be replaced by the following: "Committee for monitoring guidelines and the exchange of information"; (b) Paragraph 1 shall be replaced by the following: " 1. The Member States shall provide the Commission with abstracts of national plans and programmes which they are drawing up with a view to development of the trans-European transport network, in particular 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 information."; (c) Paragraph 3 shall be replaced by the following: "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 accompanied where necessary by legislative proposals to revise the guidelines; these legislative proposals may, if necessary, include amendments 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(l)(e)."; Article 18 shall be amended as follows: (a) the title shall be replaced by the following: "Committee for monitoring guidelines and the exchange of information"; the title shall be replaced by the following: "Committee for monitoring guidelines and the exchange of information"; (b) Paragraph 1 shall be replaced by the following: " 1. The Member States shall provide the Commission with abstracts of national plans and programmes which they are drawing up with a view to development of the trans-European transport network, in particular 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 information."; Paragraph 1 shall be replaced by the following: " 1. The Member States shall provide the Commission with abstracts of national plans and programmes which they are drawing up with a view to development of the trans-European transport network, in particular 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 information."; " 1. The Member States shall provide the Commission with abstracts of national plans and programmes which they are drawing up with a view to development of the trans-European transport network, in particular 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 information."; (c) Paragraph 3 shall be replaced by the following: "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 accompanied where necessary by legislative proposals to revise the guidelines; these legislative proposals may, if necessary, include amendments 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(l)(e)."; Paragraph 3 shall be replaced by the following: "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 accompanied where necessary by legislative proposals to revise the guidelines; these legislative proposals may, if necessary, include amendments 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(l)(e)."; "3.
Article 19b Cross-border sections
In the context of certain priority projects, cross-border sections between two Member States, including motorways 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 financially indivisible or to which the Member States concerned commit themselves jointly and for which they put in place a common structure. 14) Articles 20 and 21 shall be deleted. 15) The Annexes shall be amended as follows: 1. In Annex I, sections 2, 3, 4 and 6 and the attached maps shall be replaced as indicated in Annex I to this Decision. 2. In Annex III: (a) the title shall be replaced by the following: "Priority projects on which work is due to start before 2010"; (b) the content shall be replaced by the text set out in Annex II to this Decision. The Annexes shall be amended as follows: 1. In Annex I, sections 2, 3, 4 and 6 and the attached maps shall be replaced as indicated in Annex I to this Decision. 2. In Annex III: (a) the title shall be replaced by the following: "Priority projects on which work is due to start before 2010"; (b) the content shall be replaced by the text set out in Annex II to this Decision. In Annex III: (a) the title shall be replaced by the following: "Priority projects on which work is due to start before 2010"; (b) the content shall be replaced by the text set out in Annex II to this Decision.
Article 2 
This Decision shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of 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 Done at Strasbourg, 29 April 2004. For the European Parliament The President P. COX For the European Parliament The President P. COX For the Council The President M. MCDOWELL For the Council M. MCDOWELL