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DRAFT REPORT (COM(2021)0812 – C90472/2021 – 2021/0420(COD))

On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council Guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 and Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) 1315/2013

TRAN-PR-736593

Committee on Transport and Tourism · Rapporteur: Barbara Thaler, Dominique Riquet,

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The rapporteur's draft report sets out Parliament's amendments to the proposed regulation on guidelines for developing the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), which amends Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 and Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 and repeals Regulation (EU) 1315/2013. It strengthens rail, road, inland waterway, maritime and air infrastructure standards, sets deadlines of 2030, 2040 and 2050 for the core, extended core and comprehensive networks, and limits exemptions. It adds rules on maintenance as a condition for Connecting Europe Facility funding, on resilience and climate vulnerability tests, on military mobility and dual-use infrastructure, and on cutting TEN-T links with Russia and Belarus while extending corridors to Ukraine and Moldova. It reinforces governance through European Coordinators, annual implementation reports, a network connectivity index, and infringement procedures for delays of more than two years.

Committee position. The rapporteurs welcome the revision and propose amendments to strengthen standards and requirements, limit exemptions, reinforce urban node provisions, digitalisation, resilience, military mobility, maintenance, cooperation with third countries, and governance and enforcement tools.

Key points

  1. Amends recitals to add geopolitical disruption, maintenance, resilience and priority for the core network, and to require environmental assessments within the timeframe of the Smart TEN-T Directive.
  2. Requires Member States to give priority treatment to projects of common interest, to align national transport and investment plans with Union objectives, and to exclude non-aligned projects from priority Union funding.
  3. Discontinues the TEN-T network in Russia and Belarus, downgrades cross-border connections with them from core to comprehensive network, and supports extending European Transport Corridors into Ukraine and Moldova.
  4. Requires new railway lines to use the European standard nominal track gauge of 1 435 mm, and Member States with different gauges to draw up migration plans for lines on the European Transport Corridors.
  5. Sets rail requirements: electrification, minimum speeds of 100 km/h for freight and 160 km/h for passenger trains on core network lines, and at least 50% of train paths for 740 m freight trains on double track lines.
  6. Requires ERTMS deployment synchronised between trackside and on-board equipment, with no Union funding for new railway projects not planning ERTMS, and development of satellite-based ERTMS and FRMCS.
  7. Requires Member States to establish national SUMP support programmes and contact points, and urban nodes to adopt sustainable urban mobility plans, collect mobility data and develop multimodal freight terminals by 31 December 2040.
  8. Requires Member States to carry out climate and environmental vulnerability tests and risk assessments of critical transport infrastructure by 2025 and adopt adaptation measures by 2030, and to establish Green Lanes for emergencies.
  9. Requires Member States to assess the need for military transport requirements when building or upgrading TEN-T infrastructure, and the Commission to study short-notice large-scale military movements.
  10. Makes maintenance needs and costs a precondition for Connecting Europe Facility funding, and requires projects to be maintained at the same level of service and safety throughout their lifetime.
  11. Requires the Commission to submit annual implementation reports to Parliament and national parliaments, and to launch infringement procedures immediately for significant delays of more than two years.
  12. Introduces a network connectivity index to measure integration and multimodality, to be used to channel Union funds where connectivity is lacking.

Who is affected

  • Member States, which must meet infrastructure standards and deadlines, align national plans with Union objectives and maintain infrastructure.
  • Rail operators and infrastructure managers, affected by track gauge, ERTMS, electrification and train path rules.
  • Urban nodes, which must adopt sustainable urban mobility plans, collect data and develop multimodal freight terminals.
  • Russia and Belarus, whose TEN-T connections are discontinued and downgraded, and Ukraine and Moldova, whose corridors may be extended.
  • Third-country investors in TEN-T projects, subject to screening on security, public order and strategic autonomy grounds.

Figures and deadlines

  • Rail freight market share should increase by 50% by 2030 and double by 2050.
  • Inland waterways and short sea shipping should increase market share by 25% by 2030 and 50% by 2050.
  • High-speed rail traffic should double by 2030 and triple by 2050.
  • At least 30 million zero-emission cars and 80,000 zero-emission trucks should be in operation by 2030.
  • Scheduled collective travel under 500 km should be carbon-neutral by 2030, and at least 100 climate-neutral cities by 2030.
  • European standard nominal track gauge of 1 435 mm for new railway lines.
  • Military Mobility budget of EUR 1,69 billion, as adopted in 2020, should be substantially increased.
  • Significant delay means delays of more than 2 years; Commission gives 6 months to eliminate the delay.

Legal basis: Article 294(2) and Article 172 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.