The trans-European transport network policy is based on the approach that efficient and well-connected infrastructure is of vital importance for competitiveness, growth, employment and prosperity in the European Union. Article 170 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union emphasizes the importance of the trans-European transport networks (TEN-T) as a precondition for establishing and ensuring the functioning of the internal market.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1153 and (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013 defines general objectives and priorities as well as specific technical requirements for the TEN-T network. The Annexes of the Regulation contain maps of roads, railways and waterways and lists of the urban nodes, maritime and inland ports, airports and intermodal terminals that belong to the TEN-T.
The TEN-T comprises three layers: the core network, the extended core network and the comprehensive network. The core network is due to be completed by 2030 at the latest, the extended core network by 2040 and the comprehensive network by 2050. The TEN-T Regulation defines nine corridors on the core network and the extended core network, reflecting the major long-distance routes of the internal market. Five of these corridors run through Germany. They are multi-modal and designed principally to strengthen and improve cross-border connections within the European Union and between EU Member States and their neighbouring countries.
The TEN-T comprehensive network contains railway infrastructure, inland waterway infrastructure, road transport infrastructure, maritime infrastructure, air transport infrastructure, the European Maritime Space as well as multimodal transport infrastructure and urban nodes. The TEN-T core network and the extended core network are part of the comprehensive network and contain its strategically most relevant nodes and connections. The whole TEN-T waterway network is attributed to the core network.
According to the TEN-T Regulation, an EU Coordinator is assigned to each corridor and to the two horizontal priorities, the European Maritime Space and the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). In consultation with the Member States through which the corridor passes, these coordinators develop work plans for the relevant corridors or horizontal priorities and monitor their implementation.
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF2) Regulation (EU) No 2021/1153 defines the level to which certain measures/projects are eligible for funding. In non-cohesion states such as Germany, funding may cover up to 50 % of the project costs.
TEN-T funding is only granted on application and only in response to a prior call for applications by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) on behalf of the European Commission. There is no legal entitlement to grants. Applications may be submitted primarily by EU Member States or, with their approval, by public bodies as well as private enterprises that have their own legal personality.
Connecting Europe Facility (CEF2) Regulation (EU) No 2021/1153
The CEF2 is a common financial assistance regulation for all trans-European networks, i.e. transport, energy and digital services. It defines what kind of measures are eligible for funding, to what extent and under what conditions. The CEF2 is the most important EU funding instrument for the TEN-T.
In general, funding support is provided in the form of (investment) grants. In deviation from the foregoing, funding support for electric mobility and other forms of alternative fuel infrastructure is granted through a financial instrument within the framework of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF). In a majority of cases, financial aid is granted for projects that also receive funding from promotional banks such as the European Investment Bank (EIB) or other credit institutions. With the aforementioned institutions’ (the ‘implementing partners’) funding commitments that have to be proven, the European Commission wants to ensure that the projects are sufficiently close to the market.
In the current EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, a budget of 25.807 billion euros will be available for the maintenance and upgrading of transport infrastructure. Of this amount, 11.286 billion euros may be used exclusively for projects in cohesion countries. In addition, 1.691 billion euros will be provided for military mobility projects.
However, the European Commission expects that investments of 515 billion euros will be required to complete the TEN-T core network alone.
Article 4 of the TEN-T Regulation names general objectives of the trans-European transport networks (establishment of a single European wide transport network of high quality, social, economic and territorial cohesion, sustainability, efficiency as well as increase of the benefits for its users). Article 3 of the CEF2 Regulation specifies these objectives as follows:
- to contribute to the development of projects of common interest relating to efficient, interconnected and multimodal networks and infrastructure for smart, interoperable, sustainable, inclusive, accessible, safe and secure mobility;
- to adapt parts of the TEN-T for the dual use of the transport infrastructure with a view to improving both civilian and military mobility.
Article 9 of the CEF2 Regulation defines eligible actions as follows:
- actions relating to efficient, interconnected, interoperable and multimodal networks for the development of railway, road, inland waterway and maritime infrastructure:
- ‘horizontal priorities’, i.e. innovative management and services, new technologies and innovation (e.g. ERTMS, RIS, ITS),
- actions serving the purpose of military mobility (Article 12 of the CEF2 Regulation).
Annex I of the CEF2 Regulation also lists projects on the TEN-T core network which are to be given priority in funding:
- individual projects on the TEN-T corridors,
- other pre-identified sections on the core network.
The European Commission wants to complete the core network by 2030.
In accordance with Article 15 of the CEF2 Regulation, the following maximum funding rates apply to Germany as a non-cohesion state:
General Envelope:
| Projects | Field | Maximum funding rate |
|---|---|---|
| Studies | All modes of transport | 50% |
| Works | General | 30% |
| Cross-border | 50% | |
| Telematic applications systems | 50% | |
| Inland waterways | 50% | |
| Railway interoperability | 50% | |
| New technologies and innovation | 50% | |
| Infrastructure safety | 50% | |
| Adapting the transport infrastructure for Union external border checks purposes | 50% | |
| Military Mobility: | ||
| Projects | Field | Maximum funding rate |
| Studies | All modes of transport | 50 % / 85 % |
| Works | All modes of transport | 50 % / 85 % |
The Federal Government supports an integrated European transport system with intermodal solutions. Modern transport infrastructure and modes of transport are an indispensable requirement for a well-functioning economy, and efficient infrastructure is a clear locational advantage. A future-proof transport system must meet environmental, economic and societal challenges and take into account our citizens' interests. We want to make mobility in Germany more modern, more efficient, more sustainable and less noisy.
The growth in traffic must be shouldered by all modes of transport. Against this background, the aim of the Federal Government's transport policy is to safeguard the capacity and efficiency of all modes of transport and, by interlinking them in an optimum manner, to ensure that they can deploy their inherent strengths in the overall system.
The priorities of the Federal Government and the European Commission are almost identical in this regard: for instance, almost all major upgrading and new construction projects are on railways on core network corridors. Furthermore, the approach of the European Commission to focus investments (grants) on upgrading the corridors coincides with the FTIP’s priority on upgrading the busy nodes and major transport routes.
This is why the Federal Government supports the European Commission in developing and establishing the trans-European network.
