.png)
TheTrans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is a planned network of roads, railways, airports and water infrastructure in theEuropean Union. The TEN-T network is part of a wider system ofTrans-European Networks (TENs), including atelecommunications network (eTEN) and a proposed energy network (TEN-E or Ten-Energy). TheEuropean Commission adopted the first action plans on trans-European networks in 1990.[1]
TEN-T envisages coordinated improvements to primary roads, railways, inland waterways, airports, seaports, inland ports and traffic management systems, providing integrated and intermodal long-distance, high-speed routes. A decision to adopt TEN-T was made by the European Parliament andCouncil in July 1996.[2] The EU works to promote the networks by a combination of leadership, coordination, issuance of guidelines and funding aspects of development.
These projects are technically and financially managed by theInnovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA), which superseded theTrans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA) on 31 December 2013. The tenth and newest project, theRhine-Danube Corridor, was announced for the 2014–2020 financial period.[3]
TEN-T guidelines were initially adopted on 23 July 1996, with Decision No 1692/96/EC[2] of theEuropean Parliament and of the Council on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network. In May 2001, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Decision No 1346/2001/EC,[4] which amended the TEN-T Guidelines with respect to seaports, inland ports and intermodal terminals.
In April 2004, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Decision No 884/2004/EC (added to the list by Decision No 884/2004/EC[5]), amending Decision No 1692/96/EC on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network. The April 2004 revision was a more fundamental change to TEN-T policies, intended to accommodateEU enlargement and consequent changes intraffic flows.[6]
The evolution of the TEN-T was facilitated by a proposal in 1994 which included a series of priority projects.[7]
In December 2013, with the Regulations (EU) 1315/2013 (TEN-T Guidelines), and (EU) 1316/2013 (Connecting Europe Facility 1), the TEN-T network has been defined on three levels, the Comprehensive network and the Core network, and therein the 9 Core network corridors.
On 17 October 2013, nine Core network corridors (instead of the 30 TENT Priority projects) were announced.[8] These were:
In July 2021, with the Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 (Connecting Europe Facility 2), the 9 Core network corridors were extended, partially significantly (e.g. Atlantic, North-Sea Baltic, Scand-Med) while the North Sea-Med because ofBrexit has changed to Ireland–Belgium-Netherlands and Ireland–France.
In December 2021, the European Commission's proposal for a new Regulation on TEN-T guidelines (COM 2021/821) proposes inter alia for the future a dissolution of selected Core network corridors (Orient/East–Med, North Sea–Mediterranean), its integration in other corridors (Rhine–Danube, North Sea–Alpine) and the creation of new aligned corridors (Baltic–Black–Aegean Seas, Western Balkans).[10]
The development of Ten-T in theBalkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia) was given in 2017 to theSoutheast Europe Transport Community.
In 2017, it was decided that the Trans-European Transport Networks would be extended further intoEastern Europe and would includeEastern Partnership member states.[11][12] The furthest eastern expansion of the Trans-European Transport Network reachedArmenia in February 2019.[13]
As per the 2021 proposal, connections shall also lead to the UK, Switzerland, the South Mediterranean, Turkey, and the Western Balkans.
In July 2022, it was agreed to link four European Transport Corridors with Moldova and Ukraine and to drop Russia and Belarus from the TEN-T map.[14] An August 2023 report recommended TEN-T be extended to Moldova and Ukraine with a standard gauge (1435mm) rail line, to assist in their integration with EU rail networks, some lines running alongside the 1520mm lines to avoid disruption during construction.[15]
This is the complete list of theTEN-T Core Network Corridors.[16][17]
Financial support for the implementation of TEN-T guidelines stems from the following rules:
In general, TEN-T projects are mostly funded by national or state governments. Other funding sources include: European Community funds (ERDF,Cohesion Funds, TEN-T budget), loans from international financial institutions (e.g. theEuropean Investment Bank), and private funding.
Eachtransportation mode has a network. The networks are:[2]
At its meeting inEssen in 1994, theEuropean Council endorsed a list of 14 TEN-T ‘specific’ projects, drawn up by a group chaired by then Commission Vice-PresidentHenning Christophersen.[1] Following the 2003 recommendations from theVan Miert TEN-T high-level group, the Commission compiled a list of 30 priority projects to be launched before 2010.[26]
The 30 axes and priority projects were:[27]
As of 2019, several of them are finished, e.g. no 2, 5 and 11, other are ongoing e.g. no 12 and 17, and some are not started, e.g no 27.
In addition to the various TENs, there are tenPan-European corridors, which are paths between majorurban centres andports, mainly in Eastern Europe, that have been identified as requiring major investment.
Theinternational E-road network is a naming system for major roads in Europe managed by theUnited Nations Economic Commission for Europe. It numbers roads with a designation beginning with "E" (such as "E1").
Danube as new corridor "Strasbourg – Danube" in TEN T successor "CEF – Connecting Europe facility"
This 3200 km long corridor will connect the ports of the Eastern shore of the Baltic Sea with the ports of the North Sea.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)...passing through the Romanian capital Bucharest to culminate at the Black Sea port of Constanta.
