EU INVESTS €5.4 BILLION IN SUSTAINABLE, SAFE, AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
On 29 June, the European Commission selected 135 transport infrastructure projects for EU grants, from 399 project proposals submitted under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the EU's funding instrument for strategic investment in transport infrastructure. The funding will support projects across all EU Member States along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
Several projects will boost the EU’s railway network, including cross-border links and connections to ports and airports. Rail infrastructure projects located on the TEN-T Core Network include the Fehmarn Belt tunnel, which will link Denmark and Germany. Another key project will upgrade the existing rail-road transhipment terminal in Haniska pri Košicich near the city of Košice (Slovakia). The upgrade will make it easier to move freight between rail and road, and to adapt the railway gauge so that trains built to use gauges of a different width, including that used in Ukraine, can be accommodated.
Other projects will reinforce maritime navigation through the upgrading of basic port infrastructure and the installation of on-shore power supply. Ports will then be in a position to help docked ships reduce their emissions. Projects to improve inland waterway transport include the Seine-Scheldt cross-border waterway connection, which will help create a cross-border inland waterway connection between France and Belgium.
For smart, interoperable and safer railway services, several projects will digitalise operations across Europe through the European Rail Traffic Management System. A series of pilot Digital European Sky Demonstrators in green aviation and urban air mobility will support air transport.
Projects also include the creation of safe and secure parking infrastructure for heavy goods vehicles in Spain, Romania, France, Hungary and Italy. There is an urgent need for more Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas (SSTPAs) across Europe. CLECAT has been an active supporter of the Delegated Regulation on SSTPA Standards and regrets that the success rate of the 2021 CEF Call for SSTPAs has been low. More work has to be done to ensure that the 2022 CEF Call will be a success in order to boost the number of available parking spaces across the EU.