EU Ministers Agree on TEN-T
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
The EU transport ministers convened at the first day of the TEN-T Days in the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam.
They discussed the process of implementing the Trans-European Transport Network: new challenges and opportunities, new technologies and mobility patterns for passengers, as well as digitalization and automation of freight transport.
EU Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said, "Only days after we allocated €6.7 billion to priority projects as part of the Connecting Europe Facility, the TEN-T Days offer another opportunity to mobilise funding for transport investments. Implementing the Trans-European Transport is not only about building new infrastructure, it also serves our broader objectives such as the decarbonisation and digitalisation of transport."
The ministers agreed upon the implementation of TEN-T and reaffirmed the importance of TEN-T as a key driver of sustainable growth, jobs, competitiveness and territorial cohesion in the European Union. They underlined the need for additional funding from public and private sources to cover investments in the context of TEN-T.
The ministers also paid attention to the importance of developing inland navigation and promoting the use of inland waterways.
The European Commission is firmly delivering on President Juncker's top priority of creating jobs and boosting growth in the European Union, by unveiling a list of 195 transport projects that will receive €6.7 billion of funding under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).