TEN-T appointments

Co-ordinators have been appointed for each of the nine core network corridors of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), as well as for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and Motorways of the Sea.

The appointments have been made by the European Commission (EC), which pointed out that Member States and the European Parliament had been fully involved in the process of nominating the co-ordinators.

The core TEN-T transport network creates two north-south corridors, three east-west corridors, and four diagonal corridors. The EC said the core network would transform east-west connections, remove bottlenecks, upgrade infrastructure and streamline cross-border transport operations for passengers and businesses throughout the EU.

It said it would also improve connections between different modes of transport and contribute to the EU’s climate change objectives.

The new-appointments will be responsible for co-ordinating priority transport projects and reporting back to the EC.

Vice president Siim Kallas said, “The appointment of these co-ordinators marks further progress in implementing the core TEN-T network. Their role will be essential to make the corridors a success and start a new era of participation. The new EU transport infrastructure is off to a good start.”

The EC said most of the co-ordinators had already gained wide experience of EU transport policy implementation over the past eight years, working on the TEN-T priority projects.

Seven of them have been reappointed for a period of four years – Pavel Telicka (North Sea-Baltic corridor), Pat Cox (Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor), Carlo Secchi (Atlantic Corridor), Péter Balázs (North Sea-Mediterranean corridor), Laurens Jan Brinkhorst (Mediterranean corridor), Karel Vinck (ERTMS), and Karla Peijs (Rhine-Danube corridor).

There are also four new co-ordinators who are described as experienced transport politicians and who will take up their roles as TEN-T Co-ordinators in July, after the current European Parliament mandate ends.

They include former Spanish Foreign Minister Ana de Palacio, who will be responsible for the Rhine-Alpine corridor, and former German Minister for Transport Kurt Bodewig, who takes on the Baltic-Adriatic corridor.

The final two are MEP Brian Simpson, who will take on Motorways of the Sea, and MEP Mathieu Grosch, whose brief will be the Orient/East-Med corridor.

The new co-ordinators will now enter into contact with Member States authorities and ministers to discuss the framework for co-operation and implementation of their mandates.