TEN-T - The Trans-European Transport Networks

In contributing to the implementation and development of the Internal Market, as well as re-enforcing economic and social cohesion, the construction of the trans-European transport network is a major element in economic competitiveness and a balanced and sustainable development of the European Union.
This development requires the interconnection and interoperability of national networks as well as the access to them.
Lastly, to achieve these objectives, the Community has established guidelines covering the objectives, priorities, the definition of projects of common interest, and the main themes of the envisaged measures.
The Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA) was created in 2006 to implement and manage the TEN-T programme on behalf of the European Commission.

Introduction to the Community Guidelines for the development of the Trans-European Transport Network

On July 1996 the European Parliament and Council adopted on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). These guidelines comprises roads, railways, inland waterways, airports, seaports, inland ports and traffic management systems which serve the entire continent, carry the bulk of the the long distance traffic and bring the geographical and economic areas of the Union closer together. 

The European Union must aim to promote the development of trans-European networks as a key element for the creation of the Internal Market and the reinforcement of Economic and Social Cohesion. This development includes the interconnection and interoperability of national networks as well as access to such networks. 

In view of the delays in completing the planned network, the Commission considers that a headlong rush to create new infrastructure routes cannot be the answer to the capacity requirements. Instead, the planned revision of the guidelines should confirm that it is necessary to complete what was decided in 1996 by focusing Community activities and projects on reducing the bottlenecks on major routes and on a small number of major projects. Against this background the Commission initiated in October 2001  a first revision of  TEN-T Guidelines in the lines of the White Paper on a European transport policy for 2010 to tackle the new challenges facing transport and to help to meet the objectives of the new transport policy as described in the White Paper. It aims at reducing the bottlenecks in the planned or existing network without adding new infrastructure routes by concentrating investments on a few horizontal priorities and a limited number of new specific projects.

A more fundamental revision the TEN-T Guidelines will be proposed by the Commission at the end of 2003, to take account of Enlargement and expected changes in traffic flows. New outline plans for 2020 will be drawn up with the aim of efficiently channelling tomorrows trans-European traffic in an enlarged Union. In this context the Commission will look at the idea to concentrate on a primary network made up of the most important infrastructure for international traffic and cohesion on the European continent, introduce the concept of 'sea motorways' and include sections of pan-European corridors situated on the territory of candidate countries.