19 August 2022

TEN-T PROPOSAL AMENDED TO REFLECT IMPACTS OF RUSSIA'S AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE

On 27 July, the European Commission amended its December 2021 proposal, under discussion by the European Parliament and the Council, to revise the TEN-T Regulation in order to reflect the impact of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which has redefined the geopolitical landscape.

Responding to the request within the ‘Solidarity Lanes’ communication, designed to help agricultural and other goods to reach the EU and world markets, the proposal extends four European Transport Corridors to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The ground for this extension had already been prepared when the Commission adopted revised maps for the TEN-T network in Ukraine earlier in the month.

In view of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, and the position adopted by Belarus in this conflict, cooperation with Russia and Belarus on transport is no longer considered appropriate, nor in the interest of the EU.  The proposal therefore removes Russia and Belarus from the TEN-T maps. The Commission is also proposing to downgrade the last miles of all cross-border connections between the EU and Russia/Belarus from ‘core network’ to ‘comprehensive network’. This implies a later target date for completion – 2050 instead of 2030.

The different rail track gauges used in Ukraine compared to most of the EU are also addressed in the proposal. The difference is a huge obstacle to interoperability. The proposal includes measures to migrate railway lines, when economically justified, to the European standard track gauge. This also applies to non-standard track gauges within the EU; the difficulties at the Ukraine border have highlighted how this lack of interoperability makes the railway network inside EU territory vulnerable.

The adopted proposal is now part of the ongoing negotiations with the European Parliament and the Council on the TEN-T revision, which started early this year.

Source: European Commission