Debate: Large transport infrastructure projects in the EU
Date: MONDAY, 12 JUNE 2023
Speaker: Margrethe Vestager
Language: EN

I really appreciate the fact that, taking into account the Court of Auditors’ recommendations, Parliament’s report put those into a larger context. The competence of implementing projects lies with Member States, and, when it comes to the TEN-T network policy, it’s a shared responsibility that we jointly exercise. The report also acknowledges that while there are indeed delays in implementation, the number of successful projects co-financed by the EU should also be highlighted. It proposes constructive recommendations to be taken forward on our work on complementing the TEN-T network. Let me highlight just a few of the main issues mentioned in the report and suggest potential solutions or avenues to address them. As the Court of Auditors and the report rightly point out, large projects can benefit from long-term financial certainty. There are international examples for this, and this can be positive. It gives certainty, it gives stability, and it gives legal certainty. However, as everyone here knows, the European budget is organised around seven-year multiannual financial frameworks (MFFs). On the other hand, the construction of large projects will inevitably be done over several financial frameworks, as they normally take more than seven years to build. But we can’t ring-fence funds for the next MFF to our own budgetary rules, including because it would undermine Parliament, say, over the next financial period. The Union’s support for large projects with high EU added value are high in demand. The budget of the current Connecting Europe Facility, covering 2021 to 2027, is EUR 25 billion. The overall requested budget of the first calls for proposal largely exceeded the available budget – about three times. It allows us to finance very highly matured quality projects and use the EU funds to select only the best applications. But it also is a showcase of the large needs of this sector. I would also like to mention the new priorities following Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Namely, to support the solidarity lanes, the military mobility, and that they are currently addressed within the existing financial means, which, as just mentioned, are limited. The EU therefore needs to be mindful of the financial availabilities at present for the big projects and, of course, make the most of the resources that we do have available. Your report points to the limited capacity of the Commission to oversee the planning of TEN-T projects and their implementation of the corridors. Well, they are often determined by the national context. Indeed, there is a risk of misalignment between the EU and the Member States’ strategic priorities, and we should work on this. The Commission is working on it to address the issue through the proposal for the revision of the TEN-T Regulation from 2021. So we try to push forward and we welcome Parliament’s call for more investment when it comes to funding the early stages also of these projects. Often, bad preparation is an important factor of delays, besides shortages of budgets. And this is one of the reasons why it’s crucial to have solid assessments. Those that are being planned and conducted and the overall project have been consulted with the public. I will take no more of the time so far since I have already exceeded it, but I’m looking very much forward to this debate.